Apache Avalon
Encyclopedia
Apache Avalon is a computer software framework developed in 1999 as a project
to provide a reusable component framework for container (server
) applications. Avalon pioneered the use of Design Patterns
such as Separation of concerns
and Inversion of Control
(IoC).
By 2004 Avalon had grown into several subprojects which have since separated into the following:
Excalibur, and consequently the Avalon framework, was retired on 15 December 2010, and both projects are in Apache Attic.
Project
A project in business and science is typically defined as a collaborative enterprise, frequently involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim. Projects can be further defined as temporary rather than permanent social systems that are constituted by teams...
to provide a reusable component framework for container (server
Server (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
) applications. Avalon pioneered the use of Design Patterns
Design Patterns
Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software is a software engineering book describing recurring solutions to common problems in software design. The book's authors are Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson and John Vlissides with a foreword by Grady Booch. The authors are...
such as Separation of concerns
Separation of concerns
In computer science, separation of concerns is the process of separating a computer program into distinct features that overlap in functionality as little as possible. A concern is any piece of interest or focus in a program. Typically, concerns are synonymous with features or behaviors...
and Inversion of Control
Inversion of Control
In software engineering, Inversion of Control is an abstract principle describing an aspect of some software architecture designs in which the flow of control of a system is inverted in comparison to procedural programming....
(IoC).
By 2004 Avalon had grown into several subprojects which have since separated into the following:
- Excalibur: Apache ExcaliburApache ExcaliburApache Excalibur project produces a set of libraries for component based programming in the Java language. Its main products include the Inversion of Control framework Avalon, an Avalon based container named Fortress, and a set of Avalon compatible software components.Excalibur spun out of the...
houses the Avalon 4.x framework, the Fortress IoC container, and several Avalon related components and utilities such as LogKit and the Cornerstone Component Collection. - Loom: Codehaus Loom continues development of a microkernelMicrokernelIn computer science, a microkernel is the near-minimum amount of software that can provide the mechanisms needed to implement an operating system . These mechanisms include low-level address space management, thread management, and inter-process communication...
container after the design of Avalon Phoenix. - Metro: DPML Metro project develops the next generation of the Merlin Service Platform using the Open Participation Software model.
- Castle: an IoC Framework and Container for C# and the .NET platform. Based on the C# Avalon implementation.
Excalibur, and consequently the Avalon framework, was retired on 15 December 2010, and both projects are in Apache Attic.
External links
- Apache Avalon Official Website (featuring only old source code)