a group of classes that are related by purpose or by application
a group of related interfaces, classes, and exceptions
a naming context for classes and interfaces
a way to group associated classes together
a way to organize several classes into a single unit
A Java package is a mechanism for organizing Java classes into namespaces. Java packages can be stored in compressed files called JAR files, allowing classes to download faster as a group rather than one at a time. Programmers also typically use packages to organize classes belonging to the same category or providing similar functionality.