Java package

A Java package is a technique for organizing Java classes into namespaces similar to the modules of Modula, providing modular programming in Java. Java packages can be stored in compressed files called JAR files, allowing classes to be downloaded faster as groups rather than individually. Programmers also typically use packages to organize classes belonging to the same category or providing similar functionality. A package provides a unique namespace for the types it contains. Classes in the same package can access each other's package-private and protected members.

Overview

In general, a package can contain the following kinds of types. A package allows a developer to group classes (and interfaces) together. These classes will all be related in some way – they might all have to do with a specific application or perform a specific set of tasks. The Java API is a collection of packages – for example, the javax.xml package. The javax.xml package and its subpackages contain classes to handle XML.