JavaBeans FAQ: General Questions


What is JavaBeans?

JavaBeans is a portable, platform-independent component model written in the Java programming language, developed in collaboration with industry leaders. It enables developers to write reusable components once and run them anywhere -- benefiting from the platform-independent power of Java technology. JavaBeans acts as a Bridge between proprietary component models and provides a seamless and powerful means for developers to build components that run in ActiveX container applications.

What is a Bean? Why isn't a Bean an Applet?

JavaBeans components, or Beans, are reusable software components that can be manipulated visually in a builder tool. Beans can be combined to create traditional applications, or their smaller web-oriented brethren, applets. In addition, applets can be designed to work as reusable Beans.

Individual Beans will function quite differently, but typical unifying features that distinguish a Bean are:

  • Introspection: enables a builder tool to analyze how a Bean works
  • Customization: enables a developer to use an app builder tool to customize the appearance and behavior of a Bean
  • Events: enables Beans to communicate and connect together
  • Properties: enable developers to customize and program with Beans
  • Persistence: enables developers to customize Beans in an app builder, and then retrieve those Beans, with customized features intact, for future use

Why are component architectures useful?

Developers are turning to creating components rather than monolithic applications to free themselves from slow, expensive application development, and to build up a portable, reusable code base. This enables developers to quickly attack new market opportunities, new joint development opportunities, and new ways to sell smaller packages of software.

Is JavaBeans a complete component architecture?

JavaBeans is a complete component model. It supports the standard component architecture features of properties, events, methods, and persistence. In addition, JavaBeans provides support for introspection (to allow automatic analysis of a JavaBeans component) and customization (to make it easy to configure a JavaBeans component).

Why a component architecture for the Java platform?


What kind of industry support exists for JavaBeans?


Are there JavaBeans components available that I can buy today?


What is the relationship between Sun's JFCs and JavaBeans?


What are the security implications for downloading Beans over the Internet?
