This version is still in development and is not considered stable yet.

Pipelite Overview

Pipelite is a Java 17+ framework for building message-based integration pipelines. Its primary goal is to enable developers to connect heterogeneous systems through a declarative and composable programming model, inspired by the Enterprise Integration Patterns of Hohpe and Woolf.

Key Features

  • Fluent DSL — Pipeline definition through a type-safe, readable Java API.

  • Asynchronous engine — Non-blocking execution based on configurable thread pools.

  • Extensible Channel Adapters — Native integration with HTTP, Apache Kafka, the filesystem, scheduled timers, SLF4J, and chained pipelines through queues.

  • Declarative Error Handling — Error channel and retry channel configurable directly in the flow definition.

  • Spring Boot Starter — Complete autoconfiguration for Spring Boot applications.

  • Open SPI — ChannelAdapter and Endpoint interfaces for implementing custom adapters.

When to Use Pipelite

Pipelite is particularly well suited to scenarios where you need to:

  • Build event-driven microservices that react to messages from Kafka queues or HTTP requests.

  • Implement data processing pipelines with transformation, filtering, and conditional routing.

  • Create scheduled workflows triggered by timers with automatic retry logic.

  • Connect internal application components without direct coupling.

Comparison with Other Frameworks

Feature Pipelite Apache Camel Spring Integration

Footprint

Lightweight (< 500 KB core)

Heavy (full runtime)

Medium (depends on Spring)

Configuration

Fluent Java DSL

Java/XML/YAML DSL

Java/XML/annotations DSL

Spring Boot

Dedicated starter

Dedicated starter

Native

EIP

Selected subset

Complete

Complete

Learning curve

Low

High

Medium

See Performance and Throughput for benchmark figures on per-hop overhead and end-to-end throughput.