WAR File Documentation

Overview

Feature Value
Format Type Archive
Primary Use Web Application Deployment
MIME Type application/java-archive
File Extension .war
Compression Yes, ZIP-based
Contains Servlets, JSP, HTML, JavaScript, CSS
Main Descriptor File WEB-INF/web.xml
Libraries Location WEB-INF/lib/
Compiled Code Location WEB-INF/classes/
Support for Metadata Yes
Directory Structure Requirement Specific (WEB-INF, META-INF folders)
Executable No
Developed By Sun Microsystems
Platform Java EE (Enterprise Edition)
Deployment Location Application server / Servlet container
Support for External Libraries Yes
Creation Tools Java Development Kit (JDK), IDEs
Used For Enterprise Applications
Advantages Portable, Reusable, Easy to distribute
Similar Formats JAR, EAR