On the Java platform, the JVM needs to perform the class load process for each class it wants to use. This process is opaque for the JVM and actual bytecode for loaded classes may come from one of many sources. For example, this method allows the Java Applet classes to be loaded from a remote server to the Java process inside the web browser. Remote class loading also may be used to run remotely loaded Java applications in standalone mode without integration with the web browser. This technique is called Java WebStart and was developed under Java Specification Request (JSR) number 56.

To run the Java application remotely, WebStart requires an application descriptor file that should be written using the Java Network Launching Protocol (JNLP) syntax. This file is used to define the remote server to load the application form along with some metainformation. The WebStart application may be launched from the web page by clicking on the JNLP...