Differences Between Applications and Applets:

Java programs can be classified into two types; one, applets and the other applications. There are considerable differences between these two. Applets are not fully featured application programs. It is like a component of an application.  As they are designed for Internet, they impose certain restrictions in their design.

• Applets do not use the main() method for initiating the execution of the code. Applets, when loaded, automatically call certain methods of Applet class to start and execute the applet code.
• Unlike stand-alone applications, applets cannot be run independently. They are run from inside a Web page using a special feature known as HTML tag.
• Applets cannot read from or write to the files in the local computer.
• Applets cannot communicate with other servers on the network.
• Applets cannot run any program from the local computer.
• Applets are restricted from using libraries from other languages such as C or C++.
• Applets support event-driven programming i.e. program runs as per the events triggered.
• Applets support coordinating system.
• Applets are meant for web based applications.
• All applets are subclasses of “Applet” class.