Velocity is a Java-based template engine. It permits anyone to use
the simple yet powerful template language to reference objects
defined in Java code.
When Velocity is used for web development, Web designers can work in
parallel with Java programmers to develop web sites according to the
Model-View-Controller (MVC) model, meaning that web page designers
can focus solely on creating a site that looks good, and programmers
can focus solely on writing top-notch code. Velocity separates Java
code from the web pages, making the web site more maintainable over
the long run and providing a viable alternative to Java Server Pages
(JSPs) or PHP.
Velocity's capabilities reach well beyond the realm of web sites; for
example, it can generate SQL and PostScript and XML (see Anakia for more information on XML transformations)
from templates. It can be used either as a standalone utility for
generating source code and reports, or as an integrated component of other
systems. Velocity also provides template services for the
Turbine web application
framework. Velocity+Turbine provides a template service that will allow
web applications to be developed according to a true MVC model.