The JMX API enables you to perform remote management of your resources by using JMX technology-based connectors (JMX connectors). A JMX connector makes an MBean server accessible to remote Java technology-based clients. The client end of a connector exports essentially the same interface as the MBean server.

A JMX connector consists of a connector client and a connector server. A connector server is attached to an MBean server and listens for connection requests from clients. A connector client is responsible for establishing a connection with the connector server. A connector client is usually in a different Java Virtual Machine (Java VM) from the connector server and is often running on a different machine. The JMX API defines a standard connection protocol based on Remote Method Invocation (RMI). This protocol enables you to connect a JMX client to an MBean in an MBean server from a remote location and perform operations on the MBean, exactly as if the operations were being performed locally.

The Java SE platform provides an out-of-the-box means to monitor applications remotely by using the JMX API's standard RMI connector. The out-of-the-box RMI connector automatically exposes applications for remote management, without requiring you to create a dedicated remote connector server yourself. The out-of-the-box remote management agent is activated by starting your Java application with the correct properties. Monitoring and management applications that are compatible with the JMX technology can then connect to these applications and monitor them remotely.