Apache Tomcat's WEB-INF directory is rather like Apache httpd's ".htxxxxx" files - they both contain data which is within the document directories, but is configuration data that's not directly visible to the web.
WEB-INF/web.xml (Tomcat) contains the extra configuration information for the current directory / application that's needed in addition to the web.xml file in the main configuration file, and that can be directly compared to the .htaccess files under httpd, which contain additional configuration data, per directory, in addition to what's in the httpd.conf file.
[
link] to sample .htaccess file (Apache httpd)
[
link] to sample web.xml file (Apache Tomcat, formerly Apache Jakarta Tomcat)
(written 2008-08-20)
Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles
A654 - Web Application Deployment - Configuring and Controlling Tomcat [837] Tomcat - Shutdown port - (2006-08-18)
[907] Browser -> httpd -> Tomcat -> MySQL. Restarting. - (2006-10-28)
[914] A practical example of roles - (2006-11-04)
[1351] Compressing web pages sent out from server. Is it worth it? - (2007-09-14)
[1370] Apache Tomcat Performance Tuning - (2007-09-29)
[1503] Web page (http) error status 405 - (2008-01-12)
[1553] Automatic startup and shutdown of Tomcat - (2008-02-24)
[1943] Port and Glasses - (2008-12-14)
[1994] tomcat-users.xml; what a difference a space made - (2009-01-16)
[2039] The Invoker - (2009-02-13)
[2061] Tomcat 6 - Annotated Sample Configuration Files - (2009-03-01)
[2163] CATALINA_OPTS v JAVA_OPTS - What is the difference? - (2009-05-09)
[2652] Reading and writing cookies in Java Servlets and JSPs - (2010-02-26)
[3043] Gathering information - logging - with log4j. First steps. - (2010-11-12)
A603 - Web Application Deployment - Further httpd Configuration [345] Spotting a denial of service attack - (2005-06-12)
[466] Separating 'per instance' data from binaries and web sites - (2005-10-16)
[526] Apache httpd - serving web documents from different directories - (2005-12-12)
[550] 2006 - Making business a pleasure - (2006-01-01)
[631] Apache httpd to Tomcat - jk v proxy - (2006-03-03)
[649] Denial of Service ''attack'' - (2006-03-17)
[662] An unhelpful error message from Apache httpd - (2006-03-30)
[755] Using different URLs to navigate around a single script - (2006-06-11)
[853] To list a directory under httpd on a web server, or not? - (2006-09-02)
[934] Clustering, load balancing, mod_rewrite and mod_proxy - (2006-11-21)
[1009] Passing GET parameters through Apache mod_rewrite - (2006-12-27)
[1080] httpd.conf or .htaccess? - (2007-02-14)
[1121] Sharing the load with Apache httpd and perhaps Tomcat - (2007-03-29)
[1207] Simple but effective use of mod_rewrite (Apache httpd) - (2007-05-27)
[1355] .php or .html extension? Morally Static Pages - (2007-09-17)
[1377] Load Balancing with Apache mod_jk (httpd/Tomcat) - (2007-10-02)
[1381] Using a MySQL database to control mod_rewrite via PHP - (2007-10-06)
[1551] Which modules are loaded in my Apache httpd - (2008-02-23)
[1554] Online hotel reservations - Melksham, Wiltshire (near Bath) - (2008-02-24)
[1564] Default file (MiMe types) for Apache httpd and Apache Tomcat - (2008-03-04)
[1566] Strange behaviour of web directory requests without a trailing slash - (2008-03-06)
[1619] User and Group settings for Apache httpd web server - (2008-04-22)
[1636] What to do if the Home Page is missing - (2008-05-08)
[1707] Configuring Apache httpd - (2008-07-12)
[1767] mod_proxy and mod_proxy_ajp - httpd - (2008-08-22)
[1778] Pointing all the web pages in a directory at a database - (2008-08-30)
[1939] mod_proxy_ajp and mod_proxy_balancer examples - (2008-12-13)
[1954] mod_rewrite for newcomers - (2008-12-20)
[1955] How to avoid duplicating web page maintainance - (2008-12-20)
[1974] Moving a directory on your web site - (2009-01-03)
[2060] Database connection Pooling, SSL, and command line deployment - httpd and Tomcat - (2009-03-01)
[2272] Monitoring and loading tools for testing Apache Tomcat - (2009-07-07)
[2478] How did I do THAT? - (2009-10-26)
[2900] Redirecting a page - silent, temporary or permanent? - (2010-08-03)
[3133] An image from a website that occasionally comes out as hyroglyphics - (2011-01-14)
[3449] Apache Internal Dummy Connection - what is it and what should I do with it? - (2011-09-19)
[3635] Parse error: parse error, unexpected T_STRING on brand new web site - why? - (2012-03-03)
[3862] Forwarding a whole domain, except for a few directories - Apache http server - (2012-09-17)
[3955] Building up from a small PHP setup to an enterprise one - (2012-12-16)
[4001] Helping search engines with appropriate 400 error codes - (2013-02-11)
[4307] Identifying and clearing denial of service attacks on your Apache server - (2014-09-27)
Some other Articles
Diagrams to show you how - Tomcat, Java, PHPDialects of English and UnixYank and Push - copy and move in viCo-operating to save, yet we dontWEB-INF (Tomcat) and .htaccess (httpd)Logging Cookies with the Apache httpd web serverAn opportunity for something newWhile the world sleeps ...Lindors Hotel, near St. Briavels, Wye ValleyPreserved railways - struggling to the future?