Terms used for clients

Clients provided by WebSphere Application Server, and client applications that you develop, are referred to by similar terms. The terms described in this topic should help you better understand other client-related information.

Application Client

Application Client for WebSphere Application Server is the package that we can use to install a variety of clients.

Application Client also forms the runtime for Java EE clients and Java thin clients on a system that does not have the Application Server installed.

client

Provides a framework on which an application runs, so that the application can access information on an application server. Clients are provided as part of the Application Client for WebSphere Application Server or as part of a WAS installation.

Clients are sometimes referred to as "application clients".

client application

The application program that you develop to access information on an application server. The application is built on the framework provided by one or more clients.

Java EE client

The Java EE client is a Java EE mode of using the runtime environment of either an Application Client installation or a WAS installation. The Java EE client uses the Client Container in the runtime environment to simplify access to system services such as security, transactions, naming, and database access for use by Java EE client applications.

The Java EE client is sometimes referred to as the "Java EE application client" or "J2EE application client".

Java thin client

The Java thin client is a JavaPlatform, Standard Edition (Java SE) mode of using the runtime environment of either an Application Client installation or a WAS installation. The Java thin client runtime environment provides the support needed by full-function Java SE client applications for object resolution, security, Reliability Availability and Servicability (RAS), and other services. However, the Java thin client does not support a Client Container that provides easy access to these services.

The Java thin client is sometimes referred to as the "Java thin application client".

stand-alone thin client

Small embeddable Java SE clients that we can use either on their own or, to provide different features, with one or more other stand-alone thin clients. Stand-alone thin clients are provided as embeddable JAR files, and have names such as "IBM Thin Client for feature"; for example, "IBM Thin Client for Java Messaging Service (JMS)".

Related tasks

Use application clients