apache to tomcat: mod_jk vs mod_proxy
A pros/cons comparison for those modules exists on http://blog.jboss.org/
mod_proxy
* Pros: o No need for a separate module compilation and maintenance. mod_proxy, mod_proxy_http, mod_proxy_ajp and mod_proxy_balancer comes as part of standard Apache 2.2+ distribution o Ability to use http https or AJP protocols, even within the same balancer.* Cons: o mod_proxy_ajp does not support large 8K+ packet sizes. o Basic load balancer o Does not support Domain model clusteringmod_jk
* Pros: o Advanced load balancer o Advanced node failure detection o Support for large AJP packet sizes* Cons: o Need to build and maintain a separate module
If you wish to stay in Apache land, you can also try the newer mod_proxy_ajp, which uses the AJP protocol to communicate with Tomcat instead of plain old HTTP, but which leverages mod_proxy to do the work.