Weblogic 11g - Development Mode Vs Production Mode

While configuring any Weblogic domain the there are two modes the domain can be configured with.

- Development Mode 

- Production Mode

The question is how to decide which mode to use:

Let’s say you are developing your applications. The process will involve multiple redeployments to the server. In this case you would wish for a relaxed security configuration on the server. Also you would wish for features like auto deployment of your code. In such scenarios use the Development Mode. 

Now consider you got your application working right, ready to go live. In this mode you would definitely wish for a full fledged security. Consider using the Production Mode here. 

The differences between the two modes are stated below: 

1. SSL 

In development mode you can use the demonstration digital certificates and the demonstration keystores provided by the WebLogic Server security services. With these certificates, you can design your application to work within environments secured by SSL where as in Production Mode you should not use the demonstration digital certificates and the demonstration keystores. If you do so, a warning message is displayed. 

2. Application Deployment 

In Development Mode WebLogic Server instances can automatically deploy and update applications that reside in the domain_name/autodeploy directory (where domain_name is the name of a domain) where as in Production Mode the auto-deployment feature is disabled, so you must use the WebLogic Server Administration Console, the weblogic.Deployer tool, or the WebLogic Scripting Tool (WLST). 

3. Lock and Edit Feature 

In Development Mode any configuration change being done by a user doesn’t need him to take a Lock and Edit session, where as in Production Mode the user needs to procure a Lock and Edit session before trying to make any configurational changes. 

Important Considerations:

-->It is recommended that this method be used only in a single-server development environment.

-->You can always switch the domain startup mode from Development to Production and Vice Versa

-->Oracle recommends usage of JRockit instead of Sun JDK in Production Mode. This recommendation depends on platform on which your domain runs. For platforms like Solaris SunJDK is recommended even in Production Mode. JRockit works well on OEL/Red hat Linux platforms.