# Aeron — Ultra-Low-Latency Reliable Messaging Transport

> Achieve microsecond-level messaging with this high-performance communication library for Java, C, and C++ designed for financial and real-time systems.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# Aeron — Ultra-Low-Latency Reliable Messaging Transport

## Quick Use
```bash
git clone https://github.com/real-logic/aeron.git
cd aeron
./gradlew
# Start a media driver, then run the sample publisher and subscriber
java -cp aeron-all/build/libs/aeron-all-*.jar io.aeron.driver.MediaDriver
java -cp aeron-all/build/libs/aeron-all-*.jar io.aeron.samples.BasicSubscriber
java -cp aeron-all/build/libs/aeron-all-*.jar io.aeron.samples.BasicPublisher
```

## Introduction
Aeron is a messaging transport designed for low-latency, high-throughput communication. Built by Real Logic, it targets financial trading systems, telemetry pipelines, and any domain where microsecond performance matters more than convenience.

## What Aeron Does
- Delivers reliable unicast and multicast messaging over UDP and IPC
- Achieves sub-microsecond latency for inter-process communication on the same host
- Provides a lock-free, garbage-free data path in Java for predictable GC pauses
- Supports clustered replication via Aeron Cluster for fault-tolerant state machines
- Includes an archive module for persistent message replay

## Architecture Overview
Aeron separates the Media Driver (a shared-memory transport engine) from client libraries. The driver manages buffers, flow control, and loss recovery in a dedicated process. Clients communicate with it through memory-mapped files, avoiding kernel syscalls on the data path. This design keeps latency deterministic regardless of the number of publishers or subscribers.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Build from source with Gradle or pull pre-built JARs from Maven Central
- Launch the Media Driver as a standalone process or embed it in your JVM application
- Tune buffer sizes, SO_RCVBUF, and thread affinity via system properties
- Use Aeron Archive for durable message storage and replay from disk
- Deploy Aeron Cluster for consensus-based replication across nodes

## Key Features
- Lock-free, wait-free, and zero-allocation on the fast path in Java
- IPC throughput exceeding tens of millions of messages per second
- Built-in congestion control and loss recovery for UDP transport
- Aeron Cluster provides Raft-based replicated state machines
- C and C++ client libraries for cross-language interop

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **ZeroMQ** — simpler API with higher-level patterns, but higher latency on the fast path
- **nanomsg / nng** — lightweight messaging with less focus on ultra-low latency
- **gRPC** — request-reply over HTTP/2; Aeron is a transport layer, not an RPC framework
- **Chronicle Queue** — Java-specific persistent queue; Aeron covers network transport and IPC

## FAQ
**Q:** Do I need the Media Driver as a separate process?
A: No. You can embed the driver in-process, though a standalone driver is recommended for production isolation.

**Q:** Is Aeron suitable for web applications?
A: Not directly. It targets backend service-to-service and intra-host communication, not browser clients.

**Q:** What languages are supported?
A: Java (primary), C, and C++. Community wrappers exist for .NET and Rust.

**Q:** What license does Aeron use?
A: Apache License 2.0.

## Sources
- https://github.com/real-logic/aeron
- https://aeron.io/

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-937cada6
Author: AI Open Source