Java programming using JCICS

You can write Java™ application programs that use CICS® services and execute under CICS control.

You can write Java programs on a workstation, or in the z/OS® UNIX System Services shell. You can use any editor of your choice, or a visual composition environment such as WebSphere Studio Application Developer.

CICS provides a Java class library, known as JCICS, supplied in the dfjcics.jar JAR file. JCICS is the Java equivalent of the EXEC CICS application programming interface (API) that you would use with other CICS supported languages, such as COBOL. It allows you to access CICS resources and integrate your Java programs with programs written in other languages. Most of the functions of the EXEC CICS API are supported. For a description of the JCICS API, see The JCICS class library.

The Java language is designed to be portable and architecture-neutral. The bytecode generated by compilation is portable, but requires a machine-specific interpreter for execution on different platforms. CICS provides this execution environment by means of a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) that executes under CICS control. You can read about the CICS JVM in Understanding JVMs.