Advice on ASP.NET MVC to Java migration?

Question

I'm an ASP.NET developer trying to learn Java web dev. I would like to migrate a small ASP.NET MVC site to Java. I have the ASP.NET code and the SQL Server database. I'm comfortable with Netbeans and Eclipse. I know the basics of servlets and JSPs. I'm wondering whether it would make sense to use a web framework instead of using JSP/servlets directly.

I'm stuck at what Java web framework to use. I would prefer a framework that's MVC based, can generate a data layer quickly based on an existing database schema and has an easy learning curve. I've peeked at Struts2 and JSF. Both seem a bit complicated but if I spend more time on it, perhaps they be more approachable...?

Are there other frameworks I should explore? Any recommendations?

Answer 1

I'm kinda Spring Framework fan, so I would recommend Spring MVC. I warn you - it isnt easy. You could reuse JSP as view layer, and switch later to Freemarker/Velocity. And maybe some Hibernate later. There is cool plugin pack for Eclipse from Spring, called Spring Tool Suite - makes development easier. And page with examples: http://www.springbyexample.org/ :)