Software components support standard, object-based interfaces to services provided by applications and system software. The rules of component architecture specify common behavior and interfaces for all components, allowing them to be accessed using common tools and programming languages.

Client applications see server applications and systems as a set of component objects implementing defined interfaces. Programming languages, such as C++, Visual Basic and Java, see components as normal objects and access them accordingly. Scripting languages, such as JavaScript and VBScript, can also access components as they would access any other object.

Component Enabler uses the Java component architecture, JavaBeans. This allows Component Enabler applications to build on the tools, languages, and components and utilize rapid application development techniques.

This document also refers to COM components. COM is a language-independent tool for communicating between component objects, regardless of their implementation language and platform. JavaBeans can be used as COM controls when run in JRE (Java Runtime Environment).