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> ## What Is a Custom Tag?

> A custom tag is a user-defined JSP language element. When a JSP page containing a custom tag is translated into a servlet, the tag is converted to operations on a tag handler. The web container then invokes those operations when the JSP page's servlet is executed.

> Custom tags have a rich set of features. They can

> - Be customized via attributes passed from the calling page.
> - Pass variables back to the calling page.
> - Access all the objects available to JSP pages.
> - Communicate with each other. You can create and initialize a JavaBeans component, create a public EL variable that refers to that bean in one tag, and then use the bean in another tag.
> - Be nested within one another and communicate via private variables.