Java Beans - a short definition

JavaBeans are reusable software components for the Java programming language created out of the need to encapsulate a number of objects into a single object termed bean. For an object to be considered a Java Bean it has to be serialisable, have at least one constructor and private attributes accessed with getters and setters. A bean always consists of a zero-argument constructor to allow for a standard instantiation, like an interface. A Java Bean is a Java class representing a component model to enable automated access to its properties and methods, so they can be accessible to another application. A bean also has a managerial role in that it receives and and generate events sent to interacting objects. A bean's settings can also be saved to persistent storage and even be set up by auxiliary software.