# Web archive (WAR) files

A Web application is a group of HTML pages, JSP pages, servlets, resources and source file, which can be managed as a single unit. A Web archive (WAR) file is a packaged Web application. WAR files can be used to import a Web application into a Web server.

In addition to project resources, the WAR file includes a Web deployment descriptor file. The Web deployment descriptor is an XML file that contains deployment information, MIME types, session configuration details, and other settings for a Web application. The Web deployment descriptor file (web.xml) provides information about the WAR file is shared with the developers, assemblers, and deployers in a J2EE environment.

The Web development environment provides facilities for importing and exporting WAR files, using the following wizards:

- Import Resources from a WAR File, which requires that you to specify a Web project. You can use existing projects or create them as you use the wizard.
- Export Resources to a WAR File, which requires only an export location and some optional settings

Related concepts
Web application overview
Web development tools
Dynamic Web projects and applications

Related tasks
Importing Web archive (WAR) files
Exporting Web archive (WAR) files

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