2 Overview of Standalone Clients

A standalone client is a client that has a run-time environment independent of WebLogic Server. (Managed clients, such as Web Services, rely on a server-side container to provide the run time necessary to access a server.) Standalone clients that access WebLogic Server applications range from simple command-line utilities that use standard I/O to highly interactive GUI applications built using the Java Swing/AWT classes. Learn about types of clients, client features, and how clients are distributed.

Distributing Client Jar Files

Learn about license requirements when using client JARs and other resources provided in Oracle WebLogic Server for creating standalone clients.

For information on license requirements when using client JARs and other resources provided in Oracle WebLogic Server for creating standalone clients, see Stand-Alone WebLogic Clients.

WebLogic T3 Clients

The WebLogic T3 clients are Java RMI clients that use Oracle's T3 protocol to communicate with WebLogic Server. T3 clients outperform other client types, and are the most recommended type of client.

WebLogic Thin T3 Client

The WebLogic Thin T3 java client provides a light-weight alternative to the WebLogic Install, Full, and Thin IIOP clients. This client provides the same performance that you would see with the full client, but leverages a much smaller jar file. The Thin T3 client supports most of the use cases in which the full client can be used.

The Thin T3 client can be used in standalone applications, and is also designed for applications running on foreign (non-WebLogic) servers. One common use case is integration with WebLogic JMS destinations.

Developing a WebLogic Thin T3 Client
Using WebLogic RMI with T3 Protocol in Developing RMI Applications for Oracle WebLogic Server

WebLogic Full Client (Deprecated)

The WebLogic Full Client requires the largest JAR file (wlfullclient.jar) among the standalone clients, but it has the most features and is the best overall performer. All three T3 clients have the same performance. The wlfullclient.jar also provides IIOP support. See:

Developing a WebLogic Full Client (Deprecated)
Using WebLogic RMI with T3 Protocol in Developing RMI Applications for Oracle WebLogic Server

Note:

If you run the WebLogic Full Client from a <java> task that is invoked in an Ant script, see Running the WebLogic Full Client in a Non-Forked VM, for important information regarding the RSA Crypto-J library, which is included in the wlfullclient.jar manifest classpath.

WebLogic Install Client

The Install client is available from a full WebLogic Server installation. It uses the weblogic.jar file located at WL_HOME/server/lib and provides client-side support for all WebLogic Server-specific value-added features. It is the only client that supports server-side operations, such as:

Operations necessary for development purposes, such as the ejbc compiler.
Administrative operations such as deployment.
WLST and client-side JSR 88 applications that invoke server-side operations.

RMI-IIOP Clients

IIOP can be a transport protocol for distributed applications with interfaces written in Java RMI. When they are an option, Oracle recommends using T3 clients instead of IIOP clients.

See Using RMI over IIOP in Developing RMI Applications for Oracle WebLogic Server.

CORBA Clients

If you are not working in a Java-only environment, you can use IIOP to connect your Java programs with Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) clients and execute CORBA objects. IIOP can be a transport protocol for distributed applications with interfaces written in Interface Definition Language (IDL) or Java RMI. However, the two models are distinctly different approaches to creating an interoperable environment between heterogeneous systems.

When you program, you must decide to use either IDL or RMI interfaces; you cannot mix them.WebLogic Server supports the following CORBA client models:

JMX Clients

You can use a JMX client to access WebLogic Server MBeans.

See Accessing WebLogic Server MBeans With JMX in Developing Custom Management Utilities Using JMX for Oracle WebLogic Server.

JMS Clients

WebLogic Server provides a number of JMS clients that provide Java EE and WebLogic JMS functionality.

Tip:

Oracle recommends using an efficient T3 protocol capable Java client -- either the Install, Full, and Thin T3. The Thin java client uses the slower IIOP protocol and is only recommended when the Thin T3 client is considered to be too large for your use case.

WebLogic Thin T3 client, see Developing a WebLogic Thin T3 Client.
WebLogic Full client, see Developing a WebLogic Full Client (Deprecated).
WebLogic Install client, See WebLogic Install Client.
JMS thin client, see WebLogic JMS Thin Client.
JMS SAF client, see Reliably Sending Messages Using the JMS SAF Client.
JMS C client, see WebLogic JMS C API in Developing JMS Applications for Oracle WebLogic Server
JMS .NET client, see Developing JMS .NET Client Applications for Oracle WebLogic Server
WebLogic AQ JMS client, see Standalone WebLogic AQ JMS Clients in Administering JMS Resources for Oracle WebLogic Server. The WebLogic AQ JMS client obtains destination information using WebLogic Server JNDI and provides direct access to Oracle data base AQ JMS destinations using an embedded driver. It does not provide access to WebLogic Server JMS destinations.

Web Services Clients

A standalone Web Services client (wseeclient.jar) uses WebLogic client classes to invoke a Web Service hosted on WebLogic Server or on other application servers.

See Using a Standalone Client JAR File When Invoking Web Services in Developing JAX-RPC Web Services for Oracle WebLogic Server.

WebLogic Tuxedo Connector Clients

WebLogic Tuxedo Connector provides inter-operability between WebLogic Server applications and Tuxedo services.

See:

Developing Oracle WebLogic Tuxedo Connector Client EJBs in the Developing Oracle WebLogic Tuxedo Connector Applications for Oracle WebLogic Server
How to Develop RMI/IIOP Applications for the Oracle WebLogic Tuxedo Connector in the Developing Oracle WebLogic Tuxedo Connector Applications for Oracle WebLogic Server
How to Develop Oracle WebLogic Tuxedo Connector Client Beans using the CORBA Java API in the Developing Oracle WebLogic Tuxedo Connector Applications for Oracle WebLogic Server

Clients and Features

Learn about the types of clients supported in a WebLogic Server environment, and their characteristics, features, and limitations.

The following table lists the types of clients supported in a WebLogic Server environment, and their characteristics, features, and limitations.

Note:

Oracle does not support combining clients to create extended feature sets. Select a client that best fits your environment and use only the client classes specified for that client type.

Table 2-1 WebLogic Server Client Types and Features

Client	Type	Language	Protocol	Client Class Requirements	Key Features
WL Thin T3 Client	RMI	Java	T3	`wlthint3client.jar`	Small Footprint Oracle WebLogic's T3/T3S protocol for Remote Method Invocation (RMI). Supports WebLogic Server clustering. Supports JSSE SSL, except with HTTP tunnelling. Faster and more scalable than IIOP clients. Most WebLogic client JMS features, including the WebLogic Store-and-Forward (SAF) Service using the `wlsaft3client.jar`. Supports most JavaEE features. Supports Network class loading. See Developing a WebLogic Thin T3 Client.
Deprecated WL Full Client (T3)	RMI	Java	T3	`wlfullclient.jar`	Deprecated WebLogic Server 12.1.3. Supports most WebLogic Server-specific features Supports WebLogic Server clustering. Faster and more scalable than IIOP clients. Supports most Java EE features. See Developing a WebLogic Full Client (Deprecated).
Deprecated WLS-IIOP (Introduced in WebLogic Server 7.0)	RMI	Java	IIOP	`wlfullclient.jar`	Supports WebLogic Server-specific features. Deprecated WebLogic Server 12.1.3. Supports WebLogic Server clustering. Faster and more scalable than IIOP thin clients. Not ORB-based. Does not support WebLogic Server JMS (use T3 protocol with same Jar instead). See Developing a WLS-IIOP Client (Deprecated).
Deprecated Thin Client	RMI	Java	IIOP	`wlclient.jar`	Supports WebLogic Server clustering. Supports many Java EE features, including security and transactions. Supports SSL. Uses CORBA 2.4 ORB. Consider using one of the faster T3 client options. See Developing a Thin Client.
CORBA/IDL	CORBA	Languages that OMG IDL maps to, such as C++, C, Smalltalk, COBOL	IIOP	no WebLogic classes	Uses CORBA 2.3 ORB. Does not support WebLogic Server-specific features. Does not support Java. See Developing a CORBA/IDL Client.
Java SE	RMI	Java	IIOP	no WebLogic classes	Provides connectivity to WebLogic Server environment. Does not support WebLogic Server-specific features. Does not support many Java EE features. Uses CORBA 2.3 ORB. Requires use of `com.sun.jndi.cosnaming. CNCtxFactory`. See Developing a Java SE Client.
Deprecated JMS Thin Client	RMI	Java	IIOP	`wljmsclient.jar` `wlclient.jar`	Thin client functionality WebLogic JMS, except for client-side XML selection for multicast sessions and JMSHelper class methods. Supports SSL. See WebLogic JMS Thin Client. Consider using one of the faster T3 client options.
JMS SAF Client (Introduced in WebLogic Server 9.2)	RMI	Java	IIOP	`wlsaft3client.jar` and `wlthint3client.jar` (preferred) or `wlsafclient.jar` (deprecated), `wljmsclient.jar` (deprecated), `wlclient.jar`	Locally stores messages on the client and forwards them to server-side JMS destinations when the client is connected. Supports SSL. See Reliably Sending Messages Using the JMS SAF Client.
JMS C Client (Introduced in WebLogic Server 9.0)	JNI	C	Any	Any WebLogic JMS capable Java client, such as `wlthint3client.jar`	C client applications that can access WebLogic JMS applications and resources. Supports SSL. See WebLogic JMS C API
JMS .NET Client (Introduced in WebLogic Server 10.3)	T3	.NET	T3	`WebLogic.Messaging.dll` dynamic library	Microsoft .NET client applications, written in C#, that can access WebLogic JMS applications and resources. See Developing JMS .NET Client Applications for Oracle WebLogic Server.
WebLogic AQ JMS Client (Introduced in WebLogic Server 10.3.1)	JNDI/	Java	IIOP/T3 +	`aqapi.jar`, `o6.jar`, `orai18n.jar` and the `wlclient.jar`, `wlfullclient.jar`, `weblogic.jar` (Install client), or `wlthint3client.jar`	See Standalone WebLogic AQ JMS Clients in Administering JMS Resources for Oracle WebLogic Server.
JMX	RMI	Java	IIOP	`wljmxclient.jar`	See Accessing WebLogic Server MBeans with JMX in Developing Custom Management Utilities Using JMX for Oracle WebLogic Server.
Web Services	SOAP	Java	HTTP/S	`wseeclient.jar`	See Invoking a Web Service from a Standalone Client in Developing JAX-WS Web Services for Oracle WebLogic Server.
C++ Client	CORBA	C++	IIOP	Tuxedo libraries	Interoperability between WebLogic Server applications and Tuxedo clients/services. Supports SSL. Uses CORBA 2.3 ORB. See Developing a WebLogic C++ Client for a Tuxedo ORB.
Tuxedo Server and Native CORBA client	CORBA or RMI	C++	Tuxedo-General-Inter-Orb-Protocol (TGIOP)	Tuxedo libraries	Interoperability between WebLogic Server applications and Tuxedo clients/services. Supports SSL and transactions. Uses CORBA 2.3 ORB. See Developing Clients for CORBA Objects.