The NetBeans IDE is a free, open-source Integrated Development Environment for software developers. The IDE runs on many platforms including Windows, Linux, Solaris, and the MacOS. It is easy to install and use straight out of the box. The NetBeans IDE provides developers with all the tools they need to create professional cross-platform desktop, enterprise, web and mobile applications.

Swing GUI Builder (formerly Project Matisse)

Design Swing GUIs intuitively by dragging and dropping GUI components from a palette onto a canvas, then click into JLabels, JButtons, JTextFields and edit the text directly in place. You can even use the GUI builder to prototype GUIs right in front of customers. The NetBeans IDE comes with built-in support for GUI localisation and accessibility.
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Web Application Development

Create a complete functional JSF page for manipulating data from a database in a few steps. Supports JavaServer Faces (JSF), JavaServer Pages (JSP), Persistence Units, Struts, and the JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library (JSTL). Comes with a visual editor for deployment descriptors and an HTTP monitor to debug web applications.
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Enterprise Development

Use BluePrints, templates and wizards to quickly create Enterprise Java Beans (EJB 3) and JAX-WS web services. Full support for Java EE 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5 standards.
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Web Services and Application Servers

NetBeans IDE works out-of-the box with Sun Application Server, Tomcat, Weblogic9 and JBoss 4, and it supports J2EE 1.4 and Java EE 5, including the JAX-RPC and JSR 109 standards.
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Version Control

Version control is tightly integrated into the IDE's workflow: The IDE recognizes your existing CVS working directories automatically. Use the built-in CVS or get the Subversion module from the Update Center.
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Developer Collaboration

With NetBeans Developer Collaboration (available from the Update Center), you share whole projects and files in real time over the network. Allow your co-workers to make remote changes and watch them type and run your application. Review your partner's work and send instant messages in plain text, XML, HTML, or Java complete with syntax highlighting.
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Advanced Source Code Editor

The language-aware editor indents, completes, and syntax-highlights your source code. It parses your code live, matches words and brackets, marks errors, and displays hints and javadoc. The Editor can be fully customized and split vertically or horizontally, and offers well integrated Refactoring, Debugging and JUnit testing.
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Java Mobility (Java ME) *

The free Mobility Pack adds all the functionality to the IDE needed for professional Java ME development. Install the Mobility Pack for CLDC/MIDP if you develop for devices supporting CLDC and MIDP, or the Mobility Pack for CDC if you develop for smart communicators, set-top boxes, or PDAs.
Learn more about Mobility Pack

Visual Web Development *

The free Visual Web Pack adds powerful tools to the IDE that speed up the development of web applications. It includes visual editors for rapidly building standards-based web applications using AJAX, CSS, and JSF.
Learn more about Visual Web Pack

Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) *

The free Enterprise Pack adds all the functionality to the IDE needed for professional Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) development. Write, test and debug applications using XML, BPEL, or Java web services.
Learn more about Enterprise Pack

Profiler *

The free NetBeans Profiler provides expert assistance for optimizing your application's speed and memory usage. With its tight integration into the NetBeans IDE work flow, the Profiler helps you build reliable and scalable applications.
Learn more about the Profiler

C/C++ *

The free C/C++ Pack adds all the functionality to the IDE needed to develop professional native applications. Write C and C++ code for a variety of platforms including Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Solaris Operating Systems.
Learn more about C/C++ Pack

UML *

With NetBeans UML modeling, your designers focus on the design of the application, and your developers focus on the code. First, designers and analysts design applications using UML, a standard modeling language, then developers generate source code from the UML model. Of course it works both ways: You can also update the model from changes made in the source code.
Learn more about the UML Modeling Module

(*) Install all of this functionality free and in one step by downloading the appropriate Add-On Pack.