Servlets are Java programs that run on a web or application server and act as a middle layer between a request coming from a web browser or other HTTP client and databases or applications on the HTTP server. Servlets receive HTTP requests and return HTTP responses by accepting request parameters, generating dynamic content, accessing databases, and performing network communications using Java. Servlets are commonly used to add dynamic content to web pages and to access backend databases. The lifecycle of a servlet involves initialization, servicing client requests, and destruction. Common servlet APIs include classes for handling HTTP requests and responses, reading request parameters, using cookies and sessions.