The Metadata Facility for Java is a specification for

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

that defines an

API An application programming interface (API) is a connection between computers or between computer programs. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how to build ...

for annotating

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, methods, and classes as having particular attributes that indicate they should be processed in specific ways by

development tool A programming tool or software development tool is a computer program that is used to develop another computer program, usually by helping the developer manage computer files. For example, a programmer may use a tool called a source code editor ...

s, deployment tools, or run-time libraries. The specification was developed under the

Java Community Process The Java Community Process (JCP), established in 1998, is a formal mechanism that enables interested parties to develop standard technical specifications for Java technology. Becoming a member of the JCP requires solid knowledge of the Java program ...

as JSR 175, and was released as a part of J2SE 5.0 (Tiger).

External links

JSR 175
''A Metadata Facility for the Java Programming Language''
JSR 250
'' Common Annotations'' (defines common Java SE and

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annotations)
JSR 269
''Pluggable Annotation Processing API'' (defines a pluggable interface for developing build-time annotation processors)

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