The JSTL is often referred to as a single tag library when in fact it's a collection of four tag libraries. Each tag library provides useful actions (or tags) based on the following functional areas:
- Core
- Internationalization (I18n) and formatting
- Relational database access
- XML processing
One of the primary goals of the JSTL is to simplify the lives of JSP page authors. Providing a colleciton of tag libraries reinforces this goal by further separating simple, reusable logic from the page's presentation, thus making the page easier to read and maintain.