Apache ActiveMQ ™ -- How do I embed a Broker inside a Connection
FAQ > Using Apache ActiveMQ > How do I embed a Broker inside a Connection
In many messaging topologies there are JMS Brokers (server side) and a JMS client side. Often it makes sense to deploy a broker within your JVM. This allows you to optimise away a network hop; making the networking of JMS as efficient as pure RMI, but with all the usual JMS features of location independence, reliability, load balancing etc.
There are various ways to embed a broker in ActiveMQ depending on if you are using Java, Spring, XBean or using the ActiveMQConnectionFactory .
Using explicit Java code
The following Java code will create an embedded broker
BrokerService broker = new BrokerService();
// configure the broker broker.addConnector("tcp://localhost:61616");
broker.start();
If you want to lazily bind the transport connector as part of start(), useful when start() will block pending a store lock (as in a slave start), you can use the following code
BrokerService broker = new BrokerService();
TransportConnector connector = new TransportConnector(); connector.setUri(new URI("tcp://localhost:61616")); broker.addConnector(connector); broker.start();
In the same JVM clients can then use the vm:// transport to connect to the embedded broker - whilst external clients can use the tcp:// protocol
If you have more than one embedded broker, ensure that you give them a unique name and - e.g.
BrokerService broker = new BrokerService(); // configure the broker broker.setBrokerName("fred"); broker.addConnector("tcp://localhost:61616"); broker.start();
Then if you want to connect to the broker named 'fred' from within the same JVM, you can by using the uri vm://fred
It is possible to fully configure a broker through application code e.g.
BrokerService broker = new BrokerService(); broker.setBrokerName("fred"); broker.setUseShutdownHook(false); //Add plugin broker.setPlugins(new BrokerPlugin[]{new JaasAuthenticationPlugin()}); //Add a network connection NetworkConnector connector = answer.addNetworkConnector("static://"+"tcp://somehost:61616"); connector.setDuplex(true); broker.addConnector("tcp://localhost:61616"); broker.start();
Please note that you should add plugins before connectors or they will not be initialized
For more details on the available properties you can specify, see the BrokerService javadoc
Using the BrokerFactory
There is a helper class called BrokerFactory which can be used to create a broker via URI for configuration.
BrokerService broker = BrokerFactory.createBroker(new URI(someURI));
The available values of the URI are
URI scheme
Example
Description
xbean:
xbean:activemq.xml
Searches the classpath (and file system) for an XML document with the given URI (activemq.xml in this case) which will then be used as the Xml Configuration
broker:
broker:tcp://localhost:61616
Uses the Broker Configuration URI to confgure the broker
Using Spring
There is a factory bean that can refer to an external ActiveMQ XML configuration file
In this case the usual Spring 'classpath:org/apache/activemq/xbean/activemq.xml' resource mechanism is being used so that the activemq.xml file would be found on the classpath by looking inside all the directories on the classpath then looking for 'org/apache/activemq/xbean/activemq.xml'. You can of course change this to any value you like. e.g. use classpath:activemq.xml if you just want to drop it in a directory that is in the classpath; like WEB-INF/classes in a web application.
If you wish you can use a URL instead using the file: or http: prefixes. For more details see how Spring deals with resources
Using XBean
If you are already using XBean then you can just mix and match your Spring/XBean XML configuration with ActiveMQ's configuration.
Using Spring 2.0
If you are using Spring 2.0 and ActiveMQ 4.1 or later (and xbean-spring 2.5 or later) you can embed the ActiveMQ broker XML inside any regular Spring.xml file without requiring the above factory bean. e.g. here is an example of a regular Spring XML file in Spring 2.0 which also configures a broker.
Using ActiveMQConnectionFactory
An embedded broker can also be created using an ActiveMQConnectionFactory and using a vm connector as a uri. e.g.
ActiveMQConnectionFactory cf = new ActiveMQConnectionFactory("vm://localhost?broker.persistent=false");
Use the query parameters "broker.
The broker will be created upon creation of the first connection.
You can turn off auto creation by setting the create property on the VM Transport to false:
ActiveMQConnectionFactory cf = new ActiveMQConnectionFactory("vm://localhost?create=false");