Play Framework: Created WAR file is not zipped up

Question

I'm using Play Framework 1.2.5.3. When I run the WAR command on my project, what I get is a directory with the .war extension. Inside the directory is a WEB-INF dir and the rest of my project inside that.

Isn't the play war command supposed to package the project as a standard WAR jar for deployment on a web server? What am i missing?

Answer 1

Play framework creates the war in the exploded directory format and not as a compressed file. It is mentioned as part of the play framework deployment documentation:

Please note that your application server must support deployment of exploded WAR files.

Answer 2

I know some containers (like JBoss) allow you to deploy directories like this in the same way as an archive, with the .war extension. It's called an "exploded artefact/deployment".

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