The much anticipated Java Platform Enterprise Edition 6 (Java EE 6) has been released. New additions include Java Context and Dependency Injections (CDI), Java EE Profiles, the new Web Services and Interoperability (WSIT) features that came from the Microsoft collaboration, and many new APIs for REST-based services, and REST-based administration of enterprise applications. Additional updates to the platform include Servlets 3.0, JSF 2.0, EJB 3.1, Java Persistence 2.0, Java EE Connector API updates, among others.

"Java EE 6 is designed to be more lightweight and modular to help simplify development, serve more applications and address various deployment scenarios. The innovative features and productivity improvements now available in Java EE 6 are the result of an extensive, collaborative development effort between Sun, the JCP and open source community members," said Karen Tegan Padir, vice president of MySQL and Software Infrastructure at Sun.

Dr. Dobbs' Eric J. Bruno describes the Java CDI, often referred to as "Web Beans" and/or the JSR-299, as taking plain-old-Java-objects (POJOs) and enabling them to scale in enterprise applications. It helps simplify development and deployment, and unifies existing Java EE APIs.

The Java EE Profiles are subsets of the platform. There are currently two profiles: a Web Profile which is Tomcat-like, and includes a web server with support for Servlets, JSPs, and JSF; and the full Java EE profile which includes everything. Java EE 6 allows users to define their own custom profiles. The lightweight Web Profile is designed to specifically address web application deployment scenarios that may not require the full enterprise functionality of the broader Java EE platform. Coupled with significant improvements to the existing specifications, and the introduction of Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) 3.1 Lite technology, the Web Profile allows developers to quickly and easily build applications without the need to build and manage a "custom stack". In addition, developers requiring the power of the full platform can easily move from the Web Profile to the complete Java EE 6 platform. New profiles are expected to be defined through the Java Community Process (JCP) process, which will address specific application deployment patterns.

"We expect Profiles to usher in a new era of innovation and the possibility of many exciting new products for the Java EE platform," Padir said.

The Java EE 6 specifies a process and a set of technologies that may be "pruned" from future releases of the platform, Sun says, allowing vendors and application providers to plan their migration to newer technologies that will be offered in upcoming versions of the platform.

Also available is the Java EE 6 SDK, which includes Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server v3. This version of GlassFish Enterprise Server supports the full Java EE 6 platform and Java EE 6 Web Profile. The latest Java EE SDK delivers powerful enterprise and Web development technologies that leverage the first implementation of the Java EE 6 platform. Developers familiar with the Java EE programming model will experience productivity improvements and ease in development with the features introduced, Sun believes.

The Java EE 6 specification is available from the Sun Web site. The JCP Web site provides a list of the individual specifications and versions that make up Java EE 6, with links to the JSRs and specifications themselves.

Industry support from Java technology licensees include Caucho, IBM, Oracle and Red Hat.

More Information

Download

What's New with Java EE 6? - Webinar presented by John Clingan and Harpreet Singh (login or registration required)

Java EE at a Glance

JSR 316: Java EE 6 Specification

Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server

Java EE 6 and GlassFish Highlights From Devoxx [...read more...]

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