Why is Java EE scalable?

Question

I heard from various sources that Java EE is highly scalable, but to me it seems that you could never scale a Java EE application to the level of the google search engine or any

Answer 1

One could look at a scalable architecture from the point of view of what the base framework (like Java EE) provides. But that's just the beginning.

Designing for a scalable infrastructure is an architectural art. It's like the art of projection ... how will it behave when it's blown up real big. The base questions are:

• Where do I keep commonly accessed stuff so that when so many persons are asking for it, I don't have to go for it so many time (cache)?
• Where do I keep each individual's stuff so that when there are so many individuals needing stuff kept, I won't have trouble managing them all.
• How do I remember what a person did here the last time they came here, since they may not be coming back to the same particular node they visited the last time.
• How long will I have to wait for (block on) a long-running procedure if so many persons are requesting it?

... that sort of thing is beyond what a framework can wrap. In other words, the framework could be scalable but the product is wired too tight to scale.

Java EE, as a framework is quite scalable, like most modern microprocessor-targeting enterprise frameworks. But I have seen amazing (not in a good way) stuff build out of even the best of them.

For a plethora of references, please search Google for "Designing for Scalability"