Issue - java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet

CNF exception should always make you think "I'm missing a JAR."

In this case, you want the Spring 3.0.5 JAR named org.springframework.web.servlet-3.0.5.RELEASE.jar. it contains the DispatcherServlet.

If you think they're in your CLASSPATH, perhaps you don't understand how to set it properly.

You should not have a CLASSPATH environment variable.

The Spring JARs and all their dependencies should be in your WEB-INF/lib.

If you're using Maven, you need this dependency:

<dependency>
   <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
   <artifactId>spring-webmvc</artifactId>
   <!-- Set this to the respective version -->
   <version>3.0.5.RELEASE</version>
</dependency>