The key differences between variables declared in a JSP declaration part versus a scriptlet are: - Variables declared in a declaration part are instance variables of the generated servlet class, while variables declared in a scriptlet are local to the _jspService() method. - Declaration part variables have broader scope across the entire JSP and servlet, while scriptlet variables are only accessible within the scriptlet. JSPExecutor is a tool that allows executing JSP files from the command line or own applications, bypassing the servlet container. It is useful for code generation but lacks full servlet functionality.