Jar vs War

n Java, JAR (Java Archive) and WAR (Web Archive) are both archive file formats that serve different purposes in the development and deployment of Java applications. Here are the main differences between JAR and WAR files:

  1. Purpose:

    • JAR (Java Archive): JAR files are used to package and distribute Java libraries, classes, and associated metadata. They are commonly used for standalone Java applications or for distributing libraries that can be used by other Java applications.
    • WAR (Web Archive): WAR files are specifically designed for packaging and deploying web applications. They contain the web components such as servlets, JSP pages, HTML pages, and other resources required for a web application to run.

  2. Contents:

    • JAR: Typically contains compiled Java classes, resources, and metadata needed for a Java application.
    • WAR: Contains a structured layout for web applications, including directories like WEB-INF, META-INF, and resources specific to web applications.

  3. Structure:

    • JAR: The contents are usually placed in a flat structure or a simple directory structure.
    • WAR: Has a specific directory structure required for deploying web applications. It often includes directories like WEB-INF, which contains configuration files, classes, and libraries.

  4. Deployment:

    • JAR: Used for general-purpose Java applications and libraries. They are not specifically designed for web applications.
    • WAR: Specifically used for deploying web applications on servlet containers like Apache Tomcat or Jetty.

  5. File Extension:

    • JAR: Has a .jar file extension.
    • WAR: Has a .war file extension.

  6. Manifest File:

    • JAR: May contain a manifest file (META-INF/MANIFEST.MF) that specifies metadata about the JAR file.
    • WAR: Has a specific location for configuration files, such as web.xml, which contains metadata for the web application.
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Jar vs War