Akka CheatSheet

Introduction

Let’s review the main concepts in akka

Akka

Step 1: Create ActorSystem

1	final ActorSystem system = ActorSystem.create() // => this is how you start with akka, create an ActorSystem.

The ActorSystem maintains ThreadPools and is up until you shut it down! and is a factory for creating actors and managing their lifecycle.

Step 2: Code an actor

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public class MyAkkaActor extends AbstractActor { // Our actor class. public Receive createReceive() { return receiveBuilder() .match(DoIt.class, this::onDoIt) // run onDoIt function on DoIt message. .match(StopDoingIt.class, this.onStopDoingIt) .build(); // Now we can have reference to the Receive. } }

Step 3: Instantiate top level topology actor

1	final Actor myAkkaActor = system.actorOf(Props.create(MyAkkaActor.class), "myAkkaActor");

if your actor needs a child actor use the ActorContext to create it, this is how we build the actor hierarchy.

Step 5: Code a message

You don’t call methods on an actor your send it immutable objects - messages

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public static class DoIt { public final int howManyTimes; public DoIt(int howManyTimes) { this.howManyTimes = howManyTimes; } } public static class StopDoingIt {} public static class FasterFaster {}

Step 6: Call an actor with a message

Ordering of messages from same actor is preserved. different sernders can be interleaved.

1 2	myAkkaActor.tell(new DoIt(2), ActorRef.noSender()) // noSender sender not important one way communication. myAkkaActor.tell(new DoIt(1), getSelf()) // sent a message from another actor. can send back message.

Step 7: Send a message back to calling actor

1	getSender().tell(new DoIt(1), getSelf()) // from within an actor send back message

if no sender, for example message was not sent from an actor message would be sent to deadLetters. deadLetter is a special Actor.

Step 7: Create child actor

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getContext().actorOf(Props.create(MyAkkaActor.class)); // create child actor from within an actor. getContext().getChildren()[0].tell(new DoThis(1), getSelf()); // tell first child actor to do it! getContext().parent() // a child actor looking for his famous father actor.

Step 8: Fault tolerance and self healing

By default parent actor restarts it’s children in case of failure but you can change that.

1	.match(Terminated.class, this::onChildTerminated) // parent actor listening to a bad child terminating.

Akka parts

1. Client uses ActorRef to send a message to a real actor.
2. ActorRef delivers the message asynchronously to the real actor.
3. Dispatcher for that actor notified a message received.
4. Dispatcher schedules the actor for execution.
5. Actor while running other messages are queued.
6. Actor when done can send message back to ActorRef
7. repeat