Class loaders

Class loaders are an integral part of the JVM code and are responsible for finding and loading class files both for the application server itself, and for applications. It is important that you understand class loaders and how they affect the JVM and deployed applications. Application developers and administrators must understand and consider the location of Java classes and Java resource files, and the class loaders used to access those files must also be able to make the appropriate class files available to deployed applications. The configuration of class loaders also affects the packaging of applications and their runtime behavior. In this book, we cannot completely cover all the issues and intricacies of class loaders. However, we will explain the essentials of class loading and what configuration elements you can use in the Administrative console to change class loading behavior.

Class loading basics

A simple and easy way to understand class loaders is to use the concept...