Java programs

Java can be used to create two types of programs: applets and stand-alone applications. An Applet is simply a part of a Web page, just as an image or a line of text can be. Just as a browser takes care of displaying an image referenced in an HTML document, a Java-enabled browser locates and runs an Applet . When your Java-capable Web browser loads the HTML document, the Java applet is also loaded and executed.

Java applications are standalone Java programs that do not require a Web browser to run. Java applications are more general-purpose programs such as you'd find on any computer.

A single Java program can be an applet or an application, or both, depending on how you write that program and the capabilities that program uses.