(Enterprise JavaBeans) Software components for networked Java applications. Defined by the Enterprise JavaBeans specification, EJBs are the basic building blocks of software applications on the J2EE platform, which has been the preferred choice for many enterprises when building large-scale, web-accessed applications. Recently, however, many developers have been turning away from the complexity of EJBs in favor of simpler alternatives. The new EJB 3.0 specification attempts to answer these criticisms by simplifying EJB development.