An XML-based text file whose elements describe how to assemble and deploy a module to a specific environment. The elements also contain behavioral information about components not included directly in code. The IDE generates a deployment descriptor from the properties of an enterprise bean, an EJB module, or a J2EE application.
There are different types of deployment descriptors: EJB deployment descriptors described in the Enterprise JavaBeans specification, web deployment descriptors described in the Servlet specification, and application and application client deployment descriptors described in the J2EE specification.
Deployment descriptors specify two kinds of information: