SAP NetWeaver Application Server brings together a proven infrastructure with the interoperability and flexibility of Web services technology. With this component of SAP NetWeaver, you get support for platform-independent Web services, business applications, and standards-based development.

SAP NetWeaver Application Server provides an open and reliable infrastructure for deploying highly scalable Web applications and Web services. Features and functions include:

• Development – SAP NetWeaver Application Server provides an Eclipse-based interactive development environment, called SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio. As a starting point for all Java development tools and the integration basis for all infrastructure components, SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio supports efficient development of Web Dynpro, Web services, and Java/J2EE business applications. It supports the development of Java projects on a large-scale basis for both SAP technologies and standard technologies such as Web services and J2EE.
• User interface development – Web Dynpro, part of SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio, allows you to develop professional user interfaces for business applications. Based on a powerful and flexible model-view-controller architecture, it provides a clear separation of user interfaces with back-end services to ensure fast responses for highly interactive user interfaces.
• Security – SAP NetWeaver Application Server supports state-of-the-art Internet security standards such as HTTPS, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). It provides secure communication between all client and server components, authentication and single sign-on capabilities, central user administration, digital certificates, digital signatures, and auditing capabilities.
• Persistence layer support – With SAP NetWeaver Application Server, you receive support for platform-independent Web services and business applications. You also receive support for standards-based development built on technologies such as J2EE and ABAP. SAP NetWeaver Application Server works with all open technology platforms – including the leading hardware, operating systems, and databases – based on open standards. Open SQL for Java allows developers to access a relational database in a portable and efficient manner.
• Deployment – SAP NetWeaver Application Server includes integrated deployment capabilities to run applications and a repository to manage versions. It also provides a file storage medium that combines flexible use of the local file system with secure and efficient storage of a relational database on a central server.
• Scalability, performance, and high availability – SAP NetWeaver Application Server enables scalable, high-performance business processes, primarily through sophisticated, business-driven caching and dispatching techniques. High performance is provided by the component's architecture, along with SAP's proven transaction capabilities in a distributed environment. High availability is ensured by automatic distribution of requests to other SAP NetWeaver Application Server instances, should one server be unavailable.
• Software logistics and life-cycle management – Sophisticated change management and transport services support not only the first implementation of an application, but also the continuous changes that result from business or organizational changes, or the implementation of additional functions. Comprehensive software logistics for the development, test, and production landscape are prerequisites for continuous enterprise operations.