The life cycle of a servlet in Java refers to the process by which a servlet is initialized, handles requests, and is ultimately destroyed. The life cycle is managed by the web container, which is responsible for loading the servlet, creating instances of the servlet, and invoking the appropriate methods on the servlet at the appropriate times.

The life cycle of a servlet in Java can be broken down into the following phases:

1. Servlet loading: When the web container is started or when a new web application is deployed, it loads the servlet classes into memory.

2. Servlet instantiation: When a new request is received for a servlet, the web container creates an instance of the servlet by calling the servlet's init() method. The init() method is called only once during the life cycle of the servlet.

3. Request handling: Once the servlet is instantiated, it is ready to handle requests. Each incoming request is processed in a separate thread by invoking the servlet's service() method, which in turn calls the appropriate HTTP method handler (doGet(), doPost(), etc.) to handle the request.

4. Servlet destruction: When the web container shuts down or when the web application is undeployed, the servlet's destroy() method is called to allow the servlet to clean up any resources it may have allocated during its lifetime.

During the life cycle of a servlet, the web container may also call other methods on the servlet, such as getServletConfig() and getServletContext(), to provide configuration and context information to the servlet.

Understanding the life cycle of a servlet is important for building robust and efficient web applications in Java. By managing the life cycle of servlets effectively, developers can ensure that their applications are scalable, reliable, and maintainable over time.