Javax.mail vs jakarta.mail
javax.mail
and jakarta.mail
are both Java APIs for sending and receiving email, but they have a significant difference in their origins and compatibility.
javax.mail
javax.mail
is a Java API for sending and receiving email, introduced in Java 1.4 (2002). It is part of the Java Standard Edition (SE) and is included in the Java Development Kit (JDK). The API provides a simple and easy-to-use interface for sending and receiving email, including support for SMTP, POP3, and IMAP protocols.
jakarta.mail
jakarta.mail
is a Java API for sending and receiving email, introduced in 2001 as part of the Jakarta Project, an open-source project that aimed to provide a set of Java-based APIs for web development. The jakarta.mail
API was designed to be a more comprehensive and flexible alternative to javax.mail
. It provides additional features, such as support for SSL/TLS encryption, MIME messages, and internationalized email addresses.
Key differences
Here are the main differences between javax.mail
and jakarta.mail
:
- Origin:
javax.mail
is part of the Java Standard Edition (SE), whilejakarta.mail
is an open-source project. - Compatibility:
javax.mail
is included in the JDK and is compatible with all Java platforms, whilejakarta.mail
is not included in the JDK and requires a separate download and installation. - Features:
jakarta.mail
provides additional features, such as SSL/TLS encryption, MIME messages, and internationalized email addresses, which are not available injavax.mail
. - Namespace:
javax.mail
uses thejavax.mail
namespace, whilejakarta.mail
uses thejakarta.mail
namespace.
Conclusion
In summary, javax.mail
is a part of the Java Standard Edition (SE) and provides a simple and easy-to-use interface for sending and receiving email. jakarta.mail
is an open-source project that provides additional features and is not included in the JDK. If you need to send and receive email in a Java application, you can use either javax.mail
or jakarta.mail
, depending on your specific requirements and compatibility constraints.