# Exporting Web Archive (WAR) files

A Web archive (WAR) file is a packaged Web application that can be exported to test, publish, and deploy the resources developed within a Web project.

Note: if you want to work with an existing workbench Web project or share Web projects, we highly recommend that you use the Project Interchange feature, as this feature preserves all your metadata.

To export a WAR file from a Web project, do the following:

1. Right click on a Web project folder and select Export from the pop-up menu. Then select WAR file in the Export window and then select Next.
2. Specify the Web project you want to export (this field is primed if you used the pop-up menu to open the wizard), and specify a location for the new WAR file
3. Optional: Optionally, supply WAR export Options, such as whether or not to include Java™ source files in the WAR, and whether to overwrite any existing resources during the export process. Source files are not usually included in a WAR file, because they are not necessary for the server to run the web application.
4. Click Finish.

Related concepts
Web archive (WAR) files

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