Oracle WebLogic Server Reviews

We install Oracle products for our clients, not for our own purposes because we don't have any big infrastructure where we would have to deploy them.

Our clients' use-cases for Oracle WebLogic are for applications that require WebLogic as a server container for reports, for Java-based applications, for Oracle data integrators, and other tools which require WebLogic.

I have installed and configured WebLogic on-premises in cluster configurations as well as standalone configurations. I have also configured WebLogic on the Oracle cloud.

In WebLogic, the most useful feature is the UI administration console from where we can configure everything, such as security access, and where we can start and stop it graphically. That's the best feature of WebLogic Server.

In terms of what could be improved, maybe something related to the processes automation or starting and stopping the processes, because often WebLogic comes with something called Node Manager. Node Manager needs to be configured and administrated manually. That is kind of a setback because we don't how to configure it manually using scripting commands - it becomes complicated. In the next releases it would be good if it could be possible to have Node Manager WebLogic able to be configured and administrated graphically, also. That's a suggestion.

I have been using Oracle WebLogic Server for almost 10 years - from WebLogic version 10 onwards.

WebLogic is one of the web containers available today. We have installed it for more than 50 clients for different strategies using WebLogic.

Customer support is very good. It is a very standard product and any software product in the world comes with its own knicks and knacks that you have to know so that you can configure it. The documentation is very vast, but Oracle support for the product is very good. If there is any complication like a bug or if there is any complication with the configuration, the support is very good regarding that.

Today, WebLogic can be installed for different purposes. WebLogic Server can be installed alone just to publish Java-based applications or web-based applications - that is one scenario. Another scenario is to use WebLogic to deploy forms reports and other Oracle Fusion reports. For both the cases, the documentation is very good and the steps to follow are very standardized. It is basically straightforward.

In terms of how much staff is needed for implementation, one person specialized in installing WebLogic is required. But installing WebLogic also requires having enough knowledge about the operating systems, because, depending on the operating system, there needs to be an operating system administrator to configure certain features.

The WebLogic installation configuration requires top knowledge regarding operating systems and database design because, for example, when we deploy WebLogic for Fusion products we need to connect WebLogic to a database repository to deploy it later for the scripts. So one person is enough but this person requires knowledge of operating systems as well as databases.

The licensing costs for WebLogic depend on if you go with WebLogic Enterprise or WebLogic Suite. It's a complete suite of products that comes with WebLogic, like Fusion and other products. It is a bit costly.

If you go for WebLogic standard, which is just WebLogic by itself, it's not that costly. Price-wise it's a bit costly if you compare it to free products like JBoss or Tomcat. But if you compare it with other web server products which are commercial, WebLogic is not so costly.

On a scale of one to ten, I would give Oracle WebLogic Server a nine.

In my current company, we are working with banking systems, developing software for investment companies and finance. Our product is built on the Oracle database and Oracle WebLogic Server.

Oracle WebLogic Server is more secure and has full functionalities that can be used for big applications.

The solution is very expensive, and its pricing could be improved.

I have been using Oracle WebLogic Server for six years.

Oracle WebLogic Server is a very stable solution.

I rate Oracle WebLogic Server an eight out of ten for stability.

I rate Oracle WebLogic Server ten out of ten for scalability.

Oracle WebLogic Server provides very good technical support.

The solution's initial setup is very easy and straightforward.

The solution's deployment does not take more than five minutes.

Only one administrator is needed for the solution's installation, deployment, and maintenance.

I would recommend Oracle WebLogic Server to other users.

Overall, I rate Oracle WebLogic Server a nine out of ten.

We primarily use it for ADA applications. We develop on the ADS platform and use forms and records.

It is good because it's easy to use. I mean, it's not just a matter of being easy. It's actually a very stable tool and service, based on my experience. It doesn't crash frequently like other servers. We don't have to restart it every week or so. It's reliable. However, when it does encounter issues, it's not always easy to identify the problem.

It is not easy maintenance and has some performance issues. Let's say you have a log file filled with information, and you put your tool in trace mode. It's not easy to diagnose or identify the root cause of the problem. It requires lots of experience and a lot of patience and time to delve into such deep-seated issues. You need a lot of time and a precise location to address the problem effectively because you have to read a lot and a lot of log files because there is no diagnostic tool available that is good enough to take you in the right direction.

In additional features, I would like to see diagnostic tools. 

I have been working with Oracle WebLogic Server for the last ten years. It has been the basis for several HPE CTP ADA applications. We are currently using version 12.

In my experience, it is a stable solution. I would rate the stability a ten out of ten. 

I have little experience with creating clusters, but overall, it seems to be scalable. There are more than a hundred end users using this solution. 

The customer service and support team is not very good in general. It could be more knowledgeable. Oracle needs to have more knowledge at the first level of support. It's essential to provide excellent support at that level.

Neutral

The initial setup is easy. It is generally easy. However, if you're talking to someone who is new to this kind of work, they may find it challenging without proper guidance and an installation guide.

A basic understanding of the operating system and networking is necessary to communicate effectively with the tool. It's a fundamental requirement for anyone working with such a tool.

In my company, we have around five or six WebLogic servers. We use Oracle Enterprise Manager (OEM) for monitoring and diagnostics. So, I can delve deeper and perform diagnostics. There are two of us managing the maintenance. We have a maintenance agreement with Oracle. It's an on-call support model.

The first time installation may take some time. However, subsequent installations are quicker. Let's say it takes a few hours initially, but subsequent installations can be done in much less time. It's not a lengthy process overall. Just a few hours for installation and then additional time for deployment, adaptation, and configuration. So, it's not a significant time commitment.

Configuration is a big problem. It requires a deeper understanding and expertise. It comes with basic installation and preconfigured parameters, which are usually good enough for the first time. 

However, when it comes to performance, there are numerous parameters to consider. If you don't fully understand the relationship between these parameters, it becomes challenging. It's crucial to either have a self-tuning diagnostic tool or to perform performance tuning with a good understanding of the parameters because there are quite a lot of them.

The number of people required for the deployment depends. In a small company, one person may handle the entire process. They install the server, set up the services, and perform all the necessary tasks. However, in big companies, there might be different individuals assigned to each stage of the installation. For me, I handled the installation process in my company. I work as a system administrator and a DBA, so I have the necessary expertise. Perhaps in different organizations, it may be distributed across different technical roles and teams.

Oracle is not cheap. We use a yearly-basis subscription model. 

My advice would be to have a good book on performance issues. While it's a stable server, you need to put in the effort to know and understand it. It's not just a series of next-click installations but rather a basic installation that requires knowledge and learning.

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. I would like to see improvements in administrative tools and diagnostic tools.

I do have specific requirements for the solution from one of my clients. They need to deploy job applications and serve local customers who fill out forms and generate reports. The client asked me to set up a server to manage and monitor these processes. That's why I established the environment for them, with two robotic servers running on different nodes and handling forms on separate nodes. They are interconnected, so if one goes down, it's routed to the other server.

The solution provides easy monitoring. Accessing all the logs is easy, and deploying application versions is smooth.

There's a bug related to the managed services, particularly when dealing with a substantial database load applied to the managed servers. They tend to crash under such circumstances. To address this, there needs to be a focus on configuring the managed servers to handle new configurations or accept a higher load. These are some aspects that need to change. Otherwise, it's a good product.

Some people have had both good and bad experiences with customer service and support in our organization. It varies among individuals.

The setup is straightforward. You only need to do it once, and after a few steps, you can close your eyes and do it. It's like recalling a process from high school; you guide someone through it once, and then they can easily replicate it across multiple servers. With Oracle WebLogic Server, there's no dealing with devices; you set up the directory and move.

The solution’s pricing is affordable.

I recommend the product because the installation is easy, it provides a secure environment, and it's easy to manage. What matters is if the tool meets your specific requirements. It makes sense for you if it aligns with your needs and no other solution fulfills those requirements. If your specific need revolves around security and you prioritize that, then a free product might not provide the level of security you're looking for. Overall, I rate the product a perfect ten.

Primarily we deploy WebLogic both as an in-house and a private cloud-hosted server solution for our customers. We have got a couple of different use cases as per specific clients. Our personal use case is just to understand its functionality deploy it to adapt to client needs.  

The most valued feature is probably simply just the overall functionality. The product has a lot of versatility as far as what we can do with it and that flexibility is valuable in our ability to leverage deployments.  

We have some pain points with the product. First of all, we know that the Oracle-related WebLogic updates tend to be a little volatile. That is in regards to their regular updates. They do quarterly security patch updates.  

People do the updates and over a period and for some of them the updates lead to the product becoming unstable. The updates do not always apply correctly. If there is something that is a little bit off — say, if a customer has installed an extra piece of software or something to modify the system — this can create issues. There are a lot of reasons that can cause WebLogic updates to end up making the whole system unstable.  

Having to do with that update issue, we would like to see Oracle add the Diagnostic Pack back in. They used to have it included with the product and it was removed. There is another piece that was also useful in helping with product analysis and stability that they took out after 10g. Right now these helpful modules are just add-ons. Really they should be part of the standard package.  

We have got a couple of other smaller problems, but right now our main problem is the Oracle CPU updates. They are timely, but primal as far as installations.  

We have been working with Oracle WebLogic Server for a little over five years.  

Besides some issues with updates, the product has been pretty stable for us. The instability that we sometimes experience is not necessarily the fault of the product itself and likely is linked to modifications. I can not downgrade the stability of WebLogic based on trying to make the product do something that it was not exactly designed for.  

The scalability of the solution seems to be fine. We use the standard edition; we do not use the enterprise level, so I do not have direct experience with the enterprise version. We have been talking to Oracle about changing that and possibly upgrading. They are currently setting up a proof of concept for us, but we have not completed that evaluation yet. The enterprise package would hopefully provide even better opportunities to scale.  

We are pretty good at doing our own technical support and supplying it for our clients. The biggest problem right now is versioning. As they update versions we have had to buy extended support to cover potential issues with older versions.  

Oracle has quarterly updates, but the licensing fees are annual. In our case, the licensing runs into the thousands as an annual cost. But the pricing depends on the model that you have adopted.  

As we go through our contracts and bring on new clients, it is just a part of our normal due diligence to review new products and compare what is available on the market to make sure that we are using the best technology. "The best" is not necessarily the most current, and it is better to describe it as "the best" because newer is not always better. Mature options can evolve and sometimes that result is better than using an otherwise immature solution just because it is new. We just look at options and fit them to use cases.  

My advice to people considering WebLogic as a solution is to do the same thing that we do right now and what we make sure our clients do. Doing due diligence is not really an option. You have to make sure that a solution — any solution you are considering — matches up with the use cases you are planning to deploy it for. There is no point in investing in the wrong solution.  

On a scale from one to ten where one is the worst and ten is the best, I would rate Oracle WebLogic Server as a seven or eight. If I had to choose between those, I would say seven. It could easily be better and that really detracts from the user and administrative experience.  

We use the tool for our ERP solution. 

The tool's implementation should be easier. The product is also expensive. 

I have been using the solution for 15 years. 

The tool is stable. 

The tool is scalable. My company has 1000 users for the tool. 

The tool's technical support is very good. 

The tool's setup is difficult. The product's setup took about three months to complete. We required seven technical staff for the tool's deployment. 

We implemented the product with the help of other people. 

The tool's pricing is yearly. 

I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. 

We use Oracle WebLogic Server to run the IBM Maximo application.

We can deploy, Maximo to WebLogic and configure it there.

I set everything up. You only need the hardware, and I'll handle the rest.

I would not compare WebSphere and WebLogic because both servers are really good. The only difference is that Weblogic is lighter and consumes less memory.

However, once you have set up both of them, they work perfectly. 

There are always bugs, such as the recent bug with log4j, but they're both good web servers. I can make use of either one, it makes no difference. It's just a different setting, but I'd say the quality is the same.

I am satisfied with this solution, as well as WebSphere.

There are always ways to improve. But it's getting better every time, with every new release, and every new patch, it's getting better.

Oracle WebLogic Server is quite stable.

I usually solve my problems on my own. I Google it. I do the research, find out what other people are having problems with, otherwise look to Oracle for solutions to some of them. I was always able to Google it and find the solution.

I have never had to contact Oracle or IBM for support.

I have experience with WebSphere, WebServer, Apache Server, and a little bit with SAP NetWeaver. I have a lot of experience.

I would recommend using whichever is cheaper. When you purchase Maximo, you receive WebSphere for free. Why would you pay more for WebLogic? Both are interchangeable, and I don't see a difference in their performance.

I would rate Oracle WebLogic Server a nine out of ten.

We are using Oracle WebCenter content to store our enterprise documentation. We want to create a database warehouse to hold all the document information and to allow someone access to any of the documents. This will be a single gateway where someone can check-in and check-out the documents.

When we installed Oracle's complete suite it comes with multiple tools and we did not need to separately install WebLogic because all these solutions run under WebLogic itself. Once we install it, we have an administration console to enhance it. There are a couple of other related Oracle products that it can integrate with it. For example, if you want to include Oracle WebCenter Capture (WCC) or Form Recognition (WCFR), these are different modules. We have only done a couple of integrators and that has been for WCC and WCFR.

If you want to use Oracle products to the fullest with enhanced customizations, you need to get trained. There is enough documentation and the flexibility to configure the application to your needs but you will need to spend more time gathering the knowledge.

I have been using Oracle WebLogic Server for approximately one year.

The stability of the WebLogic Server is good. If you are dealing with multiple versions, you may need to work on some patch activities, but other than that it is good.

The scalability is very good.

The technical support is responsive. They are always ready to help by various communication channels, such as Zoom calls. However, sometimes it will take a while because when we are dealing with a problem, they need to look at the logs and configuration. A lot of the issues are related to the configuration that they need to look at thoroughly before they can give us a solution and it can take a few days depending on the type of problem. 

The solution was part of an Oracle suite and was installed with it which was easier than installing it seperately.

Those wanting to implement this solution will need to check what their desired functionality specific to the implementation is and if it in fact the solution can satisfy the purpose. For example, if the solution can operate without customization, and if so, you can relax and do the implementation easily. However, if your implementation requires a lot of customization changes, such as changing the behavior or the skin, it will not be straightforward. You will need to spend a lot of time getting the knowledge to do the customizations.

I rate Oracle WebLogic Server a six out of ten.