Chapter 19. Supplemental References
19.1. Types of Java Archives
JBoss EAP 6 recognizes several different types of archive files. Archive files are used to package deployable services and applications.
In general, archive files are Zip archives, with specific file extensions and specific directory structures. If the Zip archive is extracted before being deployed on the application server, it is referred to as an exploded archive. In that case, the directory name still contains the file extension, and the directory structure requirements still apply.
| Archive Type | Extension | Purpose | Directory structure requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java Archive | .jar | Contains Java class libraries. | META-INF/MANIFEST.MF file (optional), which specifies information such as which class is the main class.
|
| Web Archive | .war |
Contains Java Server Pages (JSP) files, servlets, and XML files, in addition to Java classes and libraries. The Web Archive's contents are also referred to as a Web Application.
| WEB-INF/web.xml file, which contains information about the structure of the web application. Other files may also be present in WEB-INF/.
|
| Resource Adapter Archive | .rar |
The directory structure is specified by the JCA specification.
|
Contains a Java Connector Architecture (JCA) resource adapter. Also called a connector.
|
| Enterprise Archive | .ear |
Used by Java Enterprise Edition (EE) to package one or more modules into a single archive, so that the modules can be deployed onto the application server simultaneously. Maven and Ant are the most common tools used to build EAR archives.
| META-INF/ directory, which contains one or more XML deployment descriptor files.
|
|
Any of the following types of modules.
| |||
| Service Archive | .sar |
Similar to an Enterprise Archive, but specific to the JBoss EAP.
| META-INF/ directory containing jboss-service.xml or jboss-beans.xml file.
|
