Actorom : Java-based Actors Object Model

Actorom is a pure Java implementation of the Actors Concurrency Model, aimed at making message-passing concurrency mainstream in everyday Java development.

Features

• Based on Java 5 and annotations.
• Intuitive, minimal APIs.
• Object model best fitting the main concepts behind the Actors model.
• Support for local, in-memory, actors, as well as remote actors based on the client/server paradigm.
• Support for lightweight threads, as well as native ones.
• Very fast.
• Linearly scalable.

Actorom and the Actors Concurrency Model

The Actors Concurrency Model is a form of message-passing concurrency, based on the following concepts:

• Actor: the computational unit capable of sending messages and reacting to received ones by executing a given function.
• Message: the form of communication used by actors in order to exchange data and carry on some kind of computation based on that data.
• Mailbox: a kind of buffer every actor has for storing received messages which haven't been processed yet.

Every actor can send messages to other actors by obtaining their mailbox "address" : this is the only way an actor has for changing the state of the system.
Every actor can receive messages and process them by executing a behavior function: such a function can only change the state of the actor itself, or send new messages to other actors (already existent or created on-the-fly).
Every actor is completely asynchronous and decoupled.

Actorom provides an object model based on almost the same concepts and interactions:

• Topology: is the main access point you use for spawning and retrieving actors.
  
• Actor: is the object you use for send your messages.
  
• Handler: is the plain old java object you write for implementing the behavioral methods that react to received messages.
  
• Message: is the plain old java object you write for implementing your communication.

Moreover, it provides the following advanced features:

• Futures.
  
• Links.
  
• Dynamic code swapping.
  
• Exit traps.
  
• Fail-over and restart policies.

Plus a nice DSL to make dealing with actors easier and even more intuitive!

Do you want to know more?
Then take a look at the documentation and example sections below!

Documentation

• Getting Started Tutorial
• Install Guide
• Concepts Guide

Source code examples

• Local Actors Ping-Pong Test
• Remote Actors Ping-Pong Test

Releases