List of Java APIs
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There are three types of Java Programming Language Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) :
- the official core Java API, contained in the JDK or JRE, of one of the editions of the Java Platform : J2ME (Micro edition), J2SE (Standard edition), or J2EE (Enterprise edition).
- optional official APIs that can be downloaded separately. The specification of these APIs are defined according to a Java Specification Request (JSR), and sometimes some of these APIs are later included in the core APIs off the platform (the most notable example of this kind is Swing).
- unofficial APIs, developped by third parties, but not related to any JSRs.
It must be noted that third-parties can freely implement any Java Specification Request (JSR) specifications for an official API (even for the core API of the language), providing that they conform to the Technology Compatibility Kit (TCK) for this JSR (the TCK is a suite of tests that checks conformance of implementations for a JSR). It results that a lot of official APIs have more implementations than the Sun's Reference implementation (RI).
The following is a partial list of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for the Java Programming Language.
Official APIs (Released by Sun Microsystems)
Bundled APIs (part of standard download)
- Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) (consists of the java.awt package, first released with version 1.0)
- Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS) (consists of the javax.security.auth package, bundled since 1.4, previously released as an optional package to version 1.3)
- Swing (consists of the javax.swing package, first released with version 1.2)
Optional APIs (downloaded separately)
- Java Advanced Imaging (JAI), an API which provides a set of interfaces that support a high-level programming model allowing to manipulate images easily.
- Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS) (initially released as an optional package to version 1.3, now incorporated into J2SE since 1.4)
- Java Communications API (JCA)
- Java Data Objects (JDO), a specification of Java object persistence.
- JavaHelp, a full-featured, extensible help system that enables you to incorporate online help in applets, components, applications, operating systems, and devices.
- Java Management Extensions (JMX), a technology that supplies tools for managing and monitoring applications, system objects, devices (e.g. printers) and service oriented networks.
- Java Media Framework (JMF), an API that enables audio, video and other time-based media to be added to Java applications and applets.
- Java Secure Socket Extension (JSSE), a set of packages that enable secure Internet communications.
- Java Speech API
- Java 3D, a scene graph-based 3D API.
- Java OpenGL (JOGL) (a wrapper library for OpenGL) (available here)
- Java OpenAL (JOAL) (a wrapper library for OpenAL) (available here)
Bundled APIs (part of standard download)
Optional APIs (downloaded separately)
- Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC) (Reference implementation is available here)
- Java Telephony API (available here)
Unofficial APIs (Released by third parties)
This list is very incomplete, as the number of APIs for the Java platform is overwhelming.
Compression APIs
- LZMA SDK (available here)