JDBC Parameters as Context Parameters?

[Jenn Person]

I have my JDBC parameters set as context parameters in my web.xml file as such:

<context-param>
  <param-name>url</param-name>
  <param-value>jdbc:mysql://localhost/my_db</param-value>
  <description>Url for the database</description>
</context-param>
  
<context-param>
  <param-name>dbUser</param-name>
  <param-value>public</param-value>
  <description>User name to access the database</description>
</context-param>  
 
<context-param>
  <param-name>password</param-name>
  <param-value>passw0rd</param-value>
  <description>The password to access the database</description>
</context-param>

Is this ok to do? Or a bad idea? I know it works, and did it primarily so I could maintain these attributes through just the web.xml file.
[ March 29, 2007: Message edited by: Jenn Person ]

[Sunil Vasudevan]

It is OK to do what you are doing.

But a better approach is to let your Web/App server handle database connections. They handle it in a more efficient manner.

Which web/app server are you using?
[ March 30, 2007: Message edited by: Sunil Vasudevan ]

[Rahul Bhattacharjee]

Why do not you use the connection pool provided by the container as Sunil mentioned? Or , if you want to go by this approach then it would be bettter to have a db.properties file within your application , which would have all the connection related parameters.

[A Kumar]

If it is for learning purposes..how to use context parameters then it is fine..

But for an application in production environment ,it is better to go by what the others mentioned in the above posts...

[Deepan Devadasan]

Hi Folks...

I am curious to learn things, what you mentioned as 'other' methods...

How does Container/Server Managed DB connections or connection pooling work...

Please advice me on the above

[Jenn Person]

I've never used, or been aware of , a connection pool. I'll have to look into that.

Otherwise, besides less efficiency, are there any other setbacks to making them context parameters in terms of security perhaps?

[Rahul Bhattacharjee]

I do not see and security threat to your approach as this (web.xml) would be within the WEB-INF directory.In fact I have worked on some application where some parameters are passed to the application using the init-param.