Not all web applications require the sophistication and complexity of an EJB container. The well-documented benefits of using an EJB server must be evaluated seriously against the added development and management complications for each project. Don't just assume that you have to use EJB for the model portion of a Struts application. However, if you do decide that EJB is appropriate, it doesn't have to impact the rest of the code. There are approaches that you can take to limit the coupling of your application to EJB and make it much easier to use.