Benefits over using an EAR vs. WAR?

Question

We're deploying our JavaEE 7 application on Wildfly 8. Previously, we've packaged all of our enterprise applications (WAR, multiple EJB JAR files) as an EAR. However, with JavaEE now allowing you to package EJBs in a WAR file (or as a JAR within the WAR's WEB-INF/lib) we're wondering if there is any benefit in deploying an EAR rather than going with WAR packaging.

Does an EAR provide something that a WAR does not? It certainly reduces packaging complexity to make use of a WAR. Is there any difference in terms of deployment? EJB naming? Anything?

Answer 1

• Easier to deploy (only one package instead of multiples).
• Some server (example Weblogic, but not wildfly) allow shared session for an entire EAR.
• In general, EAR provide more option to configure with AS.
• Special folder (APP-INF) that let you define a config file application.xml.

If your application would consist only of multiple WARs then you may not find it such a big deal to maintain multiple deploy. However, consider an application which use WARs, EJBs, JMS etc. It will be a lot easier to mananage the interaction between all these components in an EAR.

You might want to read the packaging application part of the Java EE tutorial.