Echo (framework)
| Company type | Software framework |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software development |
| Founder | NextApp |
| Products | Echo, Echo2, Echo3 |
Echo represents a web application framework created by NextApp. Its most recent iteration, Echo3, facilitates development using either server-side Java or client-side JavaScript. Applications running on the server side do not require familiarity with HTML, HTTP, or JavaScript, whereas client-side JavaScript applications function independently of a server but maintain the ability to communicate through AJAX.
Echo is distributed as free software under the terms of the Mozilla Public License (MPL).
Echo2
Originally, Echo was designed as a request-response web framework that utilized the Swing component model to speed up development processes. By adopting Swing’s component architecture and event-driven programming principles, it simplified the creation of web application development.
In late 2005, NextApp introduced "Echo2," an Ajax-driven platform that extended Echo’s API and web abstraction. The goal of Echo2 was to provide nearly rich client functionality with marked enhancements in performance, features, and user experience, achieved through its Ajax-based rendering engine.
Echo3
The third generation, Echo3, commenced development in 2007. This version transitioned from generating markup on the server to employing rendering peers implemented as native JavaScript objects. It uses an XML-based protocol to synchronize state between client and server. Echo3 also introduced a foundational JavaScript framework that supports inheritance hierarchies familiar to developers experienced in object-oriented languages.
Competitors
Echo is frequently compared with frameworks such as Google Web Toolkit (GWT), as both abstract developers from the complexities of the web tier. However, their approaches to handling JavaScript differ significantly. GWT translates Java code into JavaScript for entirely client-side execution, whereas since version 3, Echo offers a dual-stack model enabling applications to be developed in JavaScript (client-side), Java (server-side), or a combination of both.
Other similar frameworks include Vaadin, RAP, ZK, OpenLaszlo, ICEfaces, ThinWire, Apache Wicket, and jSeamless.
Associated projects
Several supplementary projects have been inspired by Echo2 to enhance its ecosystem:
- EchoPoint: A widely used third-party component collection for Echo2
- Hibernate-Spring-Echo: A comprehensive application framework integrating Echo2
- Google Maps for Echo2 (compatible with versions 2 and 3)
- Gantt Charting for Echo2
- Echo2Faces: XML-based markup support for designing Echo2 user interfaces
- jZeno: A full-stack framework utilizing an optimized rendering engine derived from Echo
- Aejaks: A Jacl layer built on top of Echo2 aimed at creating rich web applications
See also
- List of rich web application frameworks
- Comparison of JavaScript frameworks
- List of Ajax frameworks
- List of widget toolkits#Based on JavaScript