a group of classes that are related by purpose or by application

a group of related interfaces, classes, and exceptions

a naming context for classes and interfaces

a way to group associated classes together

a way to organize several classes into a single unit

A Java package is a mechanism for organizing Java classes into namespaces. Java packages can be stored in compressed files called JAR files, allowing classes to download faster as a group rather than one at a time. Programmers also typically use packages to organize classes belonging to the same category or providing similar functionality.