The smell of blood fills the air. At Camp Client, the battle rages on. The Empire of Users have been relentless in their assault against the Browser Alliance. While the Chrome and Firefox Battalions have been handling the swarm with commendable bravery, the Internet Explorer Battalion is suffering heavy casualties. Leadership is sorely lacking. As pressure from the Users mounts, the regiment desperately needs instruction and supplies from Server Headquarters so that a swift response can be made.
Unfortunately, the geography of the surrounding countryside impedes communication efforts. Server Headquarters is not far away, but it is situated on the other side of the deep, dark Internet Chasm. The only way across is a narrow, rickety collection of rope and wood called the HTTP Bridge. This bridge is unstable, goes through a wall of fire, and is really only useful for sending messages and a handful of supplies back and forth. But it is an extremely important and strategic link. Without it, communication would be lost as would any hope of victory.
A young squire is sent with a request in hand across the bridge to bring word of the camp’s needs to Server Headquarters. The journey is not for the faint of heart, but when you’re a grunt you have no choice but to be courageous. After making the perilous journey across the chasm he presents the request to Officer Web Server.
Officer Web Server has the noble task of accepting requests as they come across the bridge and delivering them to the right people. However, he is a little socially awkward, and most of the time he gets his charismatic best friend, Officer Application Server, to do the heavy lifting.
Officer Application Server rubs shoulders with all of the Java Generals, and knows which ones he should pass on the requests to. Sometimes this dynamic duo has trouble finding the correct general, but that is usually only because the request was lacking in information. The communication protocol has been well established, so you can hardly blame them for throwing out bad requests from careless soldiers. When these two are given a message that is not malformed they are a shining example of discipline and reliability. Luckily for the Browser Alliance, the message they receive from the young squire is crystal clear. They deliver the message to the correct Java General with great haste.
Now the Java Generals did not rise to their station in life by accident. They are smart, capable planners with deeply strategic minds. They are intelligent, but also wise. Few of these generals make any decisions without first consulting the Great Oracle™. Only then will they decide what to provide their men back at Camp Client. After ending their session with the wise old master they know what they must do. Unfortunately, details are not their strong suit and they tend to be a little verbose. If they were the ones who had to communicate the message and package up the supplies the war would surely be lost.
Fortunately, this is what Officer Template Engine was born to do. He knows what the Java General wants to say and communicates this information articulately. He drafts the final response and gathers the supplies that get delivered back to Officer Web Server and sent with another poor young squire across the HTTP Bridge.
Camp Client is overjoyed upon receiving the response. Much needed supplies of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and memes have been brought to the front lines. The soldiers survey the bounty that lies before them. “Just wait until those Users see this”, one combat veteran remarks with satisfaction. The other soldiers nod in agreement. They will live to fight another day. Many soldiers have been lost in this great war, and many more will be cut down before it is over. Though their names may change, the legend of their bravery will never fade away. This same story will be played out again and again as long as good men stand against the forces of darkness.
