Jakarta Tapestry
Tapestry is a powerful, open-source, all-Java framework for creating leading edge web applications in Java.
Tapestry reconceptualizes web application development in terms of objects, methods and properties instead of URLs and query parameters. It allows you to build sophisticated, richly interactive, highly scalable web applications without any concern for HTTP ... or even the Servlet API! Tapestry takes over all the tedious and error-prone aspects of web application development, letting you focus on just the parts specific to your application.
Tapestry is an alternative to scripting environments such as JavaServer Pages or Velocity. Tapestry goes far further, providing a complete framework for creating extremely dynamic applications with minimal amounts of coding.
Tapestry's approach, using a component object model similar to a traditional GUI, provides the following benefits:
- Very high level of reuse, within and between projects
Everything in Tapestry is a reusable component
- Frees developers from writing boring, buggy code
Code in terms of objects, methods and properties, not URLs and query parameters
- Allows applications' complexity to scale well
Framework does all the URL building and message dispatching, transparently
- Easy Internationalization/Localization
Framework selects localized version of text, templates and images
- Extremely robust applications
Less code is less bugs
Sophisticated built-in exception reporting
Line precise error reporting - Easy team integration
Graphic designers and Java developers can work together without having to know each other's jobs
Tapestry has been developed using the guiding principals of Simplicity, Consistency, Efficiency and Feedback. Tapestry is focused on improving developer productivity; the goal of Tapestry is to ensure that, when developing your applications, the simplest approach is also the correct approach.
Tapestry is distributed under the terms of the Apache Software License.
Status
Work has begun on Tapestry 4.0, which is currently in a late alpha stage. Documentation is being converted from the old DocBook format, to the new Forrest format, leaving many temporary gaps. Only the framework and the contrib library is being built, most example code is not.
If you are using Tapestry in a production environment, it is recommended that you stick with Tapestry 3.0.3, the latest stable release.
Tapestry in Print

Tapestry in Action is now available from Manning Publications. It is the definitive introduction to Tapestry written by Howard Lewis Ship, the creator of Tapestry.

Tapestry Webanwendungen mit dem Apache Framework is a fast-paced guide to using Tapestry, focusing on combining Tapestry with other open-source frameworks, as well as developing Tapestry applications using Spindle. The book is written in German, and authored by Stefan Edlich and Patrick Kunert.
Tapestry has also been described in the print journal The Java Report in the September 2001 issue. Other articles includes the on-line journal OnJava, in November 2001.
Tapestry Community
Tapestry has a very active User mailing list, with archives. This is the list for getting help with using the framework.
The Developer mailing list is for Tapestry committers and other power users to discuss enhancements to the framework. It also has archives.
A Wiki has been set up to discuss Tapestry and plan new features, as well as provide a list of Tapestry tutorials.