What Does Enterprise Archive File (EAR) Mean?

An enterprise archive file (EAR) is a Java archive (JAR) file format used to package modules as single archive files to ensure the coherent deployment of different modules to application servers. EAR uses enclosed Extensible Markup Language (XML) files, or deployment descriptors, to describe module deployment. An EAR file has an .ear extension.

Techopedia Explains Enterprise Archive File (EAR)

EAR files locate, offload, clean and store files to comply with organizational archiving procedures. EAR has a policy-driven feature used to facilitate the configuration of archive and storage solutions and meet organizational objectives. The file archive administrator handles this process, which includes the following tasks: