jndi-binding

In a naming system, we need to associate names with objects so clients can look them up. How do we represent the association between a name (like autoexec.bat) and the actual object it refers to (the file data on disk)?

A binding is an association of a name with an object. For example, autoexec.bat is bound to the file data on your hard disk. In JNDI, bindings are the fundamental associations that make up contexts—each context contains a set of bindings.

1. A binding maps a name (atomic name) to an object
2. In file system: autoexec.bat → file data on disk
3. In JNDI: MyBean → EJB Home Object reference
4. A compound name like /usr/people/ed/.cshrc consists of multiple bindings resolved sequentially
5. Bindings are created with Context.bind(name, obj) and looked up with Context.lookup(name)

• Name → Object: The core association in naming systems
• Atomic name key: Bindings are keyed by atomic names within a context
• Mutable: Bindings can be added, removed, or changed
• Type-independent: The bound object can be any Java object
• Serializable: Objects bound in JNDI should typically be serializable

• Built from: Atomic Name — bindings use atomic names as keys
• Built from: JNDI Context — contexts contain bindings
• Builds into: Compound Name — compound names resolve through multiple bindings
• Related: JNDI Naming Concepts — bindings are a core concept
• Related: JNDI — JNDI provides the API for managing bindings

• Overwriting bindings: Rebinding a name replaces the existing binding
• Null bindings: Binding null may be allowed or may throw exception
• Object serialization: Bound objects must be serializable for some providers
• Garbage collection: Binding keeps a reference to the object (prevents GC)