Create a JVM-only extension

Why JVM-only extensions

Quarkus applications can be built and run in two modes: JVM and native. While native mode is clearly superior when it comes to application start time, memory consumption and size on disk, the JVM mode may still be a valid option. Here is why:

First, Quarkus works really well on stock JVMs, such as OpenJDK. While the memory consumption and start times are not as good as in native mode, they are still very good when compared to traditional JVM stacks.

Second, JVM mode beats native mode in peak throughput and response latency. You should prefer JVM mode if these metrics matter to you.

And third, creating a Quarkus extension that works well both in JVM and native mode requires some time and expertise. In case some extension is needed quickly and the native support is dispensable, relying on JVM-only extensions may make a lot of sense.

How to create a JVM-only extension

The steps are the same as when creating a native extension, except for the following:

  • Add -Dcq.nativeSupported=false to cq:create mojo invocation:

    cd camel-quarkus
mvn cq:create -N -Dcq.artifactIdBase=foo-abc -Dcq.nativeSupported=false

  • A basic integration test is generated for you. It just checks that the newly added Camel component can be loaded. Adding some meaningful assertions to the generated test is highly welcome though.

  • You do not need to add the test to tooling/scripts/test-categories.yaml because it is necessary only for native tests.

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