> Markdown version of [NetBeans RCP](https://vaadin.com/docs/v25/tools/modernization-toolkit/swing-bridge/netbeans-rcp). Section index: [llms.txt](https://vaadin.com/docs/v25/tools/llms.txt)

# <a id="swing-bridge.netbeans-rcp"></a>NetBeans RCP

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`NetBeansRcpBridge` embeds a pre-built [NetBeans Platform](https://netbeans.apache.org/) (RCP) application as a SwingBridge guest, rendering it in the browser. The whole platform shell — or a single `TopComponent` — runs on the server inside the Vaadin session, and users interact with it through their browser.

`NetBeansRcpBridge` extends `SwingBridge`, so everything in the rest of this guide still applies: the project setup, the JVM flags, server push, the JAR-loading conventions, and per-session isolation. This section covers only what is specific to NetBeans Platform applications.

You can point SwingBridge at your existing, pre-built distribution and mount the bridge in a view without changing NetBeans RCP sources.

## <a id="swing-bridge.netbeans-rcp.when-to-use"></a>When to Use It

Use `NetBeansRcpBridge` when:

- An existing NetBeans Platform application should be reachable through a browser instead of installed as a desktop client.

- Individual RCP views (a dashboard, an explorer, a grid) should appear as ordinary Vaadin views on their own routes, composed alongside native Vaadin UI.

- A staged modernization is preferred: the RCP application keeps running unchanged while screens are migrated to Vaadin one at a time.

For a plain Swing application (a `main` method that opens a `JFrame`, not a NetBeans Platform distribution), use the base `SwingBridge` component instead — see [Quick Start](https://vaadin.com/docs/v25/tools/modernization-toolkit/swing-bridge/quick-start-guide.md).

## <a id="swing-bridge.netbeans-rcp.prerequisites"></a>Prerequisites

- **A pre-built NetBeans Platform distribution.** This is the directory the platform’s own launcher would run — it contains `etc/<branding>.clusters`, `platform/lib/boot.jar`, the branding cluster, and the feature module clusters. Bare `.nbm` files, without a host application, are not supported.

- **JDK 21.** JDK 24 and later require a NetBeans Platform variant that has dropped the dependency on `TopSecurityManager`.

- **A working SwingBridge project**, plus a small set of additional JVM flags. See [Requirements and Configuration](https://vaadin.com/docs/v25/tools/modernization-toolkit/swing-bridge/netbeans-rcp/configuration.md).

> **Note:** `NetBeansRcpBridge` is a commercial feature licensed under the same Vaadin subscription as the rest of SwingBridge. See [License Installation](https://vaadin.com/docs/v25/tools/modernization-toolkit/swing-bridge/installation-from-scratch.md#swing-bridge.installation-from-scratch.license).

## <a id="swing-bridge.netbeans-rcp.modes"></a>Embedding Modes

A bridge instance embeds the application in one of two ways:

| Mode                    | What it renders                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Full shell**          | `new NetBeansRcpBridge()` renders the whole platform shell — the main window, menu bar, toolbar, and docked windows — exactly as the desktop application looks.                                     |
| **Single TopComponent** | `new NetBeansRcpBridge().embedTopComponent("DashboardTopComponent")` renders one `TopComponent` without the platform shell: no menu bar, toolbar, status bar, or docking — only the view’s content. |

A single-TopComponent view can also turn an RCP-side window open (such as a grid row double-click that opens a detail view) into Vaadin navigation, with no change to the RCP application. See [Embedding Modes](https://vaadin.com/docs/v25/tools/modernization-toolkit/swing-bridge/netbeans-rcp/embedding-modes.md).

## <a id="swing-bridge.netbeans-rcp.multi-tenancy"></a>Multi-Tenancy and Lifecycle

Each Vaadin session that mounts the bridge runs the NetBeans Platform in its own isolated classloader, thread group, and AWT `AppContext`, with a per-session user directory. Two browser users never share platform state. When a session ends, the embedded tenant is stopped cleanly and its resources are reclaimed. See [Multi-Tenancy and Lifecycle](https://vaadin.com/docs/v25/tools/modernization-toolkit/swing-bridge/netbeans-rcp/multi-tenancy.md).

## <a id="swing-bridge.netbeans-rcp.topics"></a>Topics

- [Quick Start](https://vaadin.com/docs/v25/tools/modernization-toolkit/swing-bridge/netbeans-rcp/quick-start.md): Embed a pre-built NetBeans Platform application in a Vaadin view in a few steps.
- [Embedding Modes](https://vaadin.com/docs/v25/tools/modernization-toolkit/swing-bridge/netbeans-rcp/embedding-modes.md): Embed the whole NetBeans Platform shell, a single TopComponent, or drive Vaadin navigation from an RCP action.
- [Requirements and Configuration](https://vaadin.com/docs/v25/tools/modernization-toolkit/swing-bridge/netbeans-rcp/configuration.md): Cluster discovery, the additional JVM flags, and system properties for embedding a NetBeans Platform application.
- [Multi-Tenancy and Lifecycle](https://vaadin.com/docs/v25/tools/modernization-toolkit/swing-bridge/netbeans-rcp/multi-tenancy.md): How SwingBridge isolates NetBeans Platform tenants per session, the boot and teardown lifecycle, performance, and known limitations.