Jakarta EJB

Jakarta EJB
Name	Jakarta EJB
Developer	Jakarta EE Working Group
Initial release	1998
Latest release	Jakarta EE 10 (spec updates)
Programming language	Java
Platform	Java Platform, Jakarta EE
License	Various (specification under Eclipse Foundation)
Website	Jakarta EE

Jakarta EJB is a Jakarta EE specification for building server-side, modular, transactional, and secure component-based applications on the Java Platform. It defines a component model and programming contracts used by application servers such as Red Hat, IBM, Oracle Corporation, Eclipse Foundation, and vendors including Payara, WildFly, Apache Software Foundation, GlassFish implementers. Jakarta EJB integrates with standards and technologies like Java Transaction API, Jakarta Persistence, Jakarta Security, Jakarta RESTful Web Services, and Jakarta Contexts and Dependency Injection.

Overview

Jakarta EJB specifies enterprise beans deployed in managed containers provided by application servers such as WildFly, WebLogic Server, WebSphere Application Server, Payara Server, and GlassFish. Enterprise beans interact with clients including Servlet, Jakarta RESTful Web Services resources, Apache Tomcat front-ends, Spring Framework components, and OSGi modules. The specification aligns with platform standards driven by organizations like the Eclipse Foundation and originally by Sun Microsystems, which influenced ecosystems including NetBeans, Eclipse IDE, IntelliJ IDEA, and build tools such as Maven and Gradle.

History and Standardization

Jakarta EJB evolved from the earlier Enterprise JavaBeans work under Sun Microsystems and later stewardship by the Eclipse Foundation. Key milestones include contributions during the Java Community Process, transitions tied to the Oracle Corporation stewardship, and the migration of specifications to the Eclipse Foundation as part of the Jakarta EE project. The specification merges requirements influenced by standards such as Java Transaction API, Java Persistence API, and runtime expectations from vendors like IBM, Red Hat, and Oracle Corporation. Major platform releases coincided with application servers like GlassFish and WebLogic Server implementing successive EJB versions.

Architecture and Components

The Jakarta EJB architecture defines component types—stateless session beans, stateful session beans, singleton beans—and message-driven beans—deployed in containers such as WildFly, GlassFish, and WebLogic Server. Containers implement services including lifecycle management, dependency injection from Jakarta CDI, and transaction management interoperating with Java Transaction API and transaction managers from JBoss Transaction Manager, Oracle Coherence, or vendor-specific systems. EJBs often interact with persistence layers like Jakarta Persistence entities managed by providers such as Hibernate, EclipseLink, and OpenJPA, and messaging systems like Apache ActiveMQ, RabbitMQ, and Apache Kafka.

Programming Model and APIs

The programming model uses annotations and interfaces compatible with Jakarta CDI, Jakarta Persistence, and Jakarta Transactions. Developers author beans using annotations tied to standards recognized by IDEs like IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse IDE, and NetBeans. APIs include lifecycle callbacks, dependency injection points integrating with MicroProfile technologies, and asynchronous invocation patterns influenced by frameworks such as Spring Framework and reactive systems like Eclipse Vert.x. Tooling and build integration leverage Maven, Gradle, and continuous delivery platforms like Jenkins, GitLab CI, and GitHub Actions.

Deployment and Container Services

EJBs are packaged in archives consumed by containers such as GlassFish, WildFly, WebLogic Server, WebSphere Application Server, and Payara Server. Deployment descriptors and annotations are processed by deployment tools, cloud platforms, and orchestration systems including Kubernetes, Docker, and OpenShift. Container services provide pooling and concurrency control used by enterprise beans, integration with monitoring and management stacks like Prometheus, Grafana, New Relic, and lifecycle coordination with Systemd or platform services in Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.

Security and Transactions

Security in Jakarta EJB aligns with Jakarta Security specifications, role-based access controls defined via annotations or deployment descriptors interoperating with identity providers such as Keycloak, Okta, and LDAP servers including OpenLDAP. Transactional behavior uses Jakarta Transactions and collaborates with transaction managers and resource managers like XA, JDBC drivers from vendors such as Oracle Corporation, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and message brokers like IBM MQ and Apache ActiveMQ. Auditing and compliance workflows may integrate with platforms such as Splunk and ELK Stack components like Elasticsearch.

Implementations and Ecosystem

Multiple implementations and distributions support the specification including WildFly (Red Hat), GlassFish (Eclipse), Payara Server (Payara), WebLogic Server (Oracle), and WebSphere Application Server (IBM). Libraries and frameworks in the ecosystem include Hibernate, EclipseLink, OpenEJB, Apache TomEE, and tooling from Maven Central, Gradle Plugin Portal, and CI/CD ecosystems like Travis CI and Jenkins. Community and standards work continue within the Jakarta EE Working Group, with participation from companies such as IBM, Red Hat, Oracle Corporation, Fujitsu, SAP SE, and projects hosted by the Eclipse Foundation.

Category:Jakarta EE specifications