The JMS API stands for Java Message Service Application Programming Interface, and it is used by applications to send asynchronous business-quality messages to other applications. In the messaging world, messages are not sent directly to other applications. Instead, messages are sent to destinations, known as queues or topics. Applications sending messages do not need to worry if the receiving applications are up and running, and conversely, receiving applications do not need to worry about the sending application's status. Both senders, and receivers only interact with the destinations.

The JMS API is the standardized interface to a JMS provider, sometimes called a Message Oriented Middleware (MOM) system. JBoss comes with a JMS 1.1 compliant JMS provider called JBoss Messaging. When you use the JMS API with JBoss, you are using the JBoss Messaging engine transparently. JBoss Messaging fully implements the JMS specification; therefore, the best JBoss Messaging user guide is the JMS specification. For more information about the JMS API please visit the JMS Tutorial or JMS Downloads & Specifications.