Tag: orchestration

On this article we will explore how to do no code and low code integrations based on Apache Camel.

“Every paradigm including data flow, programming by example, and programming through analogies brings its own set of affordances and obstacles.”

Alexander Repenning – DOI reference number: 10.18293/VLSS2017-010

We are going to use Kaoto, which just made its 1.0.0 release. On this release, the Kaoto team has focused on the no-code graphical canvas to make sure the user experience is as smooth as possible.

Apache Camel

As we have discussed previously on this blog, Apache Camel is an integration framework. This means Camel will help you orchestrate and compose your services in a decoupled way.

Camel has its own Domain Specific Language (DSL) that translates a simple Camel route into code you can run.

Camel Quarkus

Whether we decide to write our camel routes in Java, Javascript, Groovy, YAML, XML,… In Camel they all get transpiled to Java code for deployment. While usually this is not a problem by itself, it is true that Java uses sometimes a bigger memory footprint that would be needed.

But we can overcome this with the Quarkus build for Apache Camel. Camel Quarkus looks exactly the same from the user or developer perspective. But it brings all the developer joy of native builds and deployments to the integration world. This is done with the Quarkus extensions on Apache Camel.

Camel K and Kamelets

But Camel offers much more than just route integrations. We also have Kamelets that aim to simplify our integration definitions. These kamelets, or camel route snippets, act as meta-steps in an integration, hiding complexities in otherwise pretty simple orchestrations.

We also have Camel K to help in our integration management. It is a lightweight integration framework that runs natively on Kubernetes. It has been specifically designed for serverless and microservice architectures.

No Code Integrations with Kaoto

The issue of making integrations frameworks accessible and easy to use is not new. There was been many different approaches to the same problem.

This is where we decided to try a new approach and create Kaoto as a way of creating no code and low code integrations.

The obvious first step on this diagram for us was some kind of Visual Editor at the beginning of the previously defined workflows, that would allow people to integrate without writing a single line of code.

The primitives or building blocks of Kaoto are usually steps in the Apache Camel integration DSL: Kamelets, Camel Components, or Enterprise Integration Patterns.

We wanted Kaoto to have a simple user interface that provides building-blocks in a drag-and-drop style manipulation. But we wanted users to be able to manipulate the source code to be as transparent as possible about what they are building.

“Well, this is all fine and well, but the problem with visual programming languages is that you can’t have more than 50 visual primitives on the screen at the same time. How are you going to write an operating system?”

Peter Deutsch

What does Low Code look like?

Low code allows the user to view and interact with the source code to deploy. At the same time, the user will be able to focus on the features being implemented without really knowing how to write the source code. The source code may look as an adjacent add-on or a guide to help new users get familiar with concepts.

Good low code editors will also show some kind of visual aid to understand what the code is implementing. On our case, Kaoto has a visual workflow showing how the components get connected to each other.

On the above example, the user starts by writing part of the code on an empty template. Once the user stops writing, Kaoto fills the gaps in the code to make it a valid source code. Also, the user can drag and drop on the graphical side to build the integration, while the source code gets updated with the changes.

What does No Code look like?

On a no code solution, there is no need to interact or even see the source code at any point. The user can focus on bringing integration capabilities to their architecture without worrying about implementation details.

You can see on this video how the user can build the integration and deploy it just by using the graphical space. Drag and drop steps, select steps from a catalog, setup the configuration properties in a HTML forms and clicking the deploy button.

You see full examples of how to use Kaoto in the workshop section you can test using any of the quickstart options.