What Is the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition?
The J2EE defines an architecture for developing complex, distributed enterprise Java applications.
J2EE was originally announced by Sun Microsystems in mid-1999 and was officially released in late 1999. The J2EE, being relatively new, is still undergoing significant changes from release to release, especially in the area of Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB).
The J2EE consists of the following:
Design guidelines for developing enterprise applications using the J2EE
A reference implementation to provide an operational view of the J2EE
A compatibility test suite for use by third parties to verify their products' compliance to the J2EE
Several Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to enable generic access to enterprise resources and infrastructure
Technologies to simplify enterprise Java development
Figure 2-1 illustrates the relationship between the J2EE platform elements graphically.
Figure 2-1. The J2EE platform elements
The platform builds on the Java mantra of “Write Once, Run Anywhere” via a group of technologies and a set of APIs. These are, in turn, supported and bound by three key elements, namely the reference implementation, the design guidelines, and the compatibility suite.