PHP/Java Bridge

These days I primarily build applications in Java, but there are times that I need to access PHP scripts, and if you work in Java, one of the best ways to integrate PHP into your Java environment (and vise versa if you are primarily working in PHP) is to use a very powerful utility called the PHP/Java Bridge.

http://php-java-bridge.sourceforge.net/pjb/how_it_works.php 

With the PHP/Java bridge you can connect to a Java VM from within a PHP application.  Conversely, you can call PHP from within a jsp page.

According to the bridge documentation, connecting to the JVM using the PHP/Java bridge is 50 times faster than using a local RPC/SOAP request, and requires no additional components.

A handy and easy to use application for administering databases is the well known PhpMyAdmin, and I've used the PHP/Java bridge to connect to this tool from a jsp servlet.