A Profile is a collection of Java APIs that complements one or more Java 2 Platform Editions by adding domain-specific capabilities. Profiles may also include other defined Profiles. A profile implementation requires a Java 2 Platform Edition to create a complete development and deployment environment in a targeted vertical market. Each profile is subject to an associated set of compatibility requirements.

Profiles may be usable on one or more editions.

Some examples of profiles within the Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition are:

* PersonalJava - for non-PC products that need to display web-compatible Java-based content

* Java Card - for secure smart cards and other severely memory-constrained devices.