Java Server Faces web application framework has its own pros and cons. It needs more time to mature .In my experience most of the web applications do similar operations like display grids for showing data list with paging and sorting support , add data form, updating data, deleting data (Basically CRUD operations) uploading and downloading streams etc., with its business logic. Ajax introduces new ways of web application development. I mostly used core ajax for small usage of ajax and if needed more ajax then used prototype, dojo preferred JavaScript tool kit solutions as compared to tags solution. I am expert in struts 1 and made many applications on struts and have seen some other web frameworks like struts 2.0 spring etc. and JSF too. A few month ago I fortunately got an opportunity to work on JSF.
I personally feel jsf provides rapid development but limits you in many cases. I used rich faces library for Ajax and GUI widgets. Used Eclipse as the development Environment.
I made the following observations after using jsf
Nothing happened” problems. Some times validation error occurs without any reason on the combo box.
Doesn’t report meaningful, useful error messages.
Doesn’t Provide Exception handler support like struts.
Ajax support is too easy by using ajax4j tags but it sometimes breaks backing bean population on the submit form.
Hard to use JavaScript with jsf.
No proper display table with paging and sorting support like display tags.
Too many backing beans in session.
Difficult to use jstl with jsf expression language and it creates problems in complex logics.
Cannot send direct request to backing beans where it decides where to go like struts actions. (Sometimes we need to go to the action first and then action decide which jsp will be shown ). I didn’t find this functionality in jsf.
