The Difference Between forward and sendRedirect in JSP

In JavaServer Pages (JSP), the primary difference between forward and sendRedirect lies in how the server-side request is handled.

Forward in JSP

When using the forward method in JSP, the server internally forwards the request to another resource within the same application. This means that the URL in the browser does not change, and it remains pointing to the original JSP page. The processing of the request is done on the server-side, and the client is unaware of the forward action.

sendRedirect in JSP

On the other hand, when using the sendRedirect method in JSP, the server sends a response to the client with a new URL. The client's browser then makes a new request to this new URL. This results in a new request-response cycle and the URL in the browser is updated to the redirected location. The processing of the request is done again from the beginning.

From an SEO perspective, using sendRedirect may have implications as search engines might treat it as a different URL. However, using forward keeps the URL consistent, which can be beneficial for SEO purposes.

Therefore, it is important to choose between forward and sendRedirect in JSP based on the specific requirements of the application and the desired user experience.