A connection factory is the object a client uses to create a connection with a JMS provider. It encapsulates the set of configuration parameters that a JMS administrator defines for a connection.

The type of connection factory determines whether a connection is made to a topic (in a publish-subscribe application), a connection is make to a queue (in a point-to-point application), or a connection can be made to both (generic connection). The connection factory type also determines whether messages are managed like elements in a distributed transaction in the client application.

You use XA-based connection factories in JMS applications managed by an application server, in the context of a distributed transaction.