Java Archive

Web Application Archive

Enterprise Application Archive

a file containing:

• compiled Java source code
• manifest file
• XML-based configuration data
• JSON-based data files
• associated resources (text, images, etc)

a standard JAR containing:

• JAR files
• JSP files
• Servlet files
• XML files
• static pages (HTML, JavaScript, CSS)

a standard JAR file that:

• represents the modules of the application
• metadata directory (i.e. META-INT) which contain one or more deployment descriptors

*.jar

*.war

*.ear

used for running a desktop application on a user’s machine’s JRE

can also start an embedded web server (e.g. with Spring Boot)

used for deploying a web application inside an application server

used for deploying different modules onto an application server simultaneously