JBoss Enterprise Application Platform
| Company type | Product |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software, Middleware |
| Predecessor | JBoss |
| Founder | JBoss |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Java EE-compliant application server runtime environment |
| Owner | Red Hat |
| Parent | Red Hat Enterprise Middleware |
| Website | www |
JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (JBoss EAP) is a subscription-based, open-source Java EE-compliant application server runtime environment designed for developing, deploying, and managing high-volume Java applications and services. Created by Red Hat, it is included in their Enterprise Middleware suite. As a Java-centric solution, JBoss EAP supports multiple operating systems compatible with Java. Initially created by JBoss, the company was acquired by Red Hat in 2006.
Product components and features
The current release of JBoss EAP is version 7, with Cumulative Patches 2 and 3 corresponding to versions 7.2 and 7.3.
Notable features include:
- An Eclipse-based Integrated Development Environment through JBoss Developer Studio
- Compliance with Java EE and Web Services specifications
- Support for Enterprise Java Beans (EJB)
- Java persistence capabilities via Hibernate implementing the Java Persistence API
- Object request broker (ORB) functionality using JacORB to enable CORBA compatibility
- The JBoss Seam framework enhanced with POJO support and integration with jBPM
- JavaServer Faces (JSF) support, including integration with RichFaces
- Web services support powered by Apache Tomcat for JSPs and Servlets
- Features for caching, clustering, and ensuring high availability through Infinispan
- Security mechanisms including JAAS and pluggable authentication modules
- Web services interoperability supporting JAX-RPC, JAX-WS, WS-* protocols, as well as MTOM/XOP
- Integration points for JCA, JDBC, JMS
- SOA management facilitated through JMX
- Administration and monitoring capabilities via JBoss Operations Network
Core components consist of:
- JBoss Application Server, serving as the foundational platform for application creation and deployment
- Hibernate ORM framework providing object-relational mapping and data persistence
- JBoss Seam framework tailored for web application development
- JBoss Web Framework Kit, enabling Java application construction
Comprehensive lists of components, supported standards, and features are provided by Red Hat.
Licensing and pricing
While JBoss software is open-source and available at no cost, Red Hat offers paid support subscriptions specifically for its Enterprise Middleware products. Using JBoss EAP in development environments is free; however, production deployment requires a subscription to receive official support. Custom modifications fall outside the scope of standard support agreements.
Related products
The following offerings are part of the JBoss Enterprise Middleware family or bundled with the JBoss Enterprise Application Platform:
- JBoss Enterprise Web Platform (JBoss EWP)
A streamlined variant of the JBoss Enterprise Application Platform featuring a reduced-profile JBoss Application Server. Detailed component and standards information is accessible.
- JBoss Enterprise Portal Platform (JBoss EPP)
An enterprise-grade portal solution delivering essential portal functionalities including master page templates, containers, repositories, and an optional site publisher.
Principal components include:
- The JBoss Enterprise Application Platform as the underlying infrastructure
- GateIn Portal, an enterprise web portal framework supporting Web Services for Remote Portlets (WSRP), Java Content Repository (JCR), Single Sign-On (SSO), and OpenSocial gadgets.
- JBoss Portlet Bridge, enabling integration of JavaServer Faces (JSF) within portlets along with frameworks such as JBoss Seam and RichFaces.
- An optional Site Publisher module providing web content management powered by eXo.
- The JBoss Enterprise Application Platform as the underlying infrastructure
JBoss EPP adheres to Portlet 2.0 (JSR-286), JCR (JSR-170), WSRP 1.0, and OpenSocial standards.
The GateIn initiative combines technologies from JBoss Portal and eXo Portal to enhance portal functionality.
- JBoss Enterprise Web Server (JBoss EWS)
A platform optimized for lightweight Java applications and large-scale web deployments that can operate as either an enterprise web server or application infrastructure.
Key elements include:
- Apache Tomcat, offering support for Java Servlets and JavaServer Pages
- Apache Web Server, featuring modules that handle authentication, caching, proxying, filtering, and load balancing (mod_jk)
- Apache Tomcat, offering support for Java Servlets and JavaServer Pages
Detailed documentation on components and standards is available.
- JBoss Web Framework Kit
A collection of web frameworks designed to facilitate development of feature-rich Java applications.
Included frameworks:
- JBoss Cache (JBC)
A caching mechanism aimed at improving performance by storing frequently accessed Java objects. It supports replication across JVM instances and transactional operations compliant with JTA transaction managers. Offered in both Core and POJO variants.
- JBoss Netty
An asynchronous NIO client-server framework that simplifies network programming for Java applications such as TCP/UDP servers. Employs the reactor design pattern to facilitate event-driven programming.
See also
- WildFly, the upstream project for JBoss EAP
- List of JBoss software
- Comparison of business integration software
- Comparison of application servers