1. In a computing environment having a connection to a network, computer readable code readable by a computer system in said environment, for improving server performance by managing a pool of network connections to backend data servers, comprising: an application server; one or more backend data servers; a connection pool; a connection pool manager for managing said connection pool, further comprising: a subprocess for establishing one or more network connections, each of said network connections connecting said application server to a particular one of said one or more backend data servers; a subprocess for entering said established connections into said connection pool, wherein each of said entered connections has associated therewith (1) a connection type to identify said particular one and (2) zero or more additional characteristics of said entered connection; and a subprocess for managing said entered connections in said connection pool, further comprising: a subprocess for receiving a request from a servlet, wherein said request is for assignment of a suitable connection and uses a common application programming interface (API) to said connection pool manager, said common API specifying (1) a desired connection type and (2) zero or more specialized extensions for desired characteristics of said suitable connection; and a subprocess for assigning said suitable connection to said servlet for use by said servlet when said desired connection type and said zero or more desired characteristics in said specialized extensions are available in one of said entered connections.