What is the difference between sendRedirect() and forward() methods?

The methods sendRedirect() and forward() are used for request redirection but work differently:

• sendRedirect() is a server response to the client with an HTTP status 302, which causes the browser to make a new request to a different URL. The URL in the address bar changes, and the request is considered new. This is client-side redirection.

• forward() is a server-side redirection within the servlet. The request is forwarded to another resource on the server without the client's involvement, the URL in the browser does not change, and the client is unaware of the redirection.

Example:

// sendRedirect
response.sendRedirect("/newPage.jsp");

// forward
request.getRequestDispatcher("/newPage.jsp").forward(request, response);

Use forward() when you want to pass control to another resource on the server without changing the URL, and sendRedirect() when you want to redirect the client to another URL, possibly even to another site.