Set up your environment to create Java EE applications

You need the following tools to develop and test Java EE applications:

• The Java Software Development Kit (SDK). The SDK is required to compile any Java program, including classes to be included in Java EE applications.
• A Java EE application server. The application server installed in your development machine helps you test and debug your applications during the development phase.
• An Integrated Development Environment (IDE). An IDE helps you create and manage Java EE applications as projects. The sophisticated editors provided by most IDEs increase your productivity and enable you to detect errors earlier in the development phase.
• An IDE plugin for your application server. Some IDE plugins enable you to start and stop the server from the IDE and to view the server log on the IDE window.

In future posts we will describe in detail how to install and use the Oracle Java SDK, the GlassFish application server, and the NetBeans IDE.