So, what is Apache Camel?

Apache Camel is an open source integration Java framework that provides a routing and mediation engine API based on its configuration and number of components, which allows a developer to quickly connect various systems consuming or producing data. Apache Camel helps to develop very complex applications by providing re-usable solutions or patterns for solving problems of application integration using message-oriented middleware. These patterns are also called Enterprise Integration Patterns and we briefly describe what they are later in the book.

First, Apache Camel is open source; this means that anyone can try it and see if it meets their needs. For the project manager, this means that there are probably a number of people who know how to work with this framework, so finding a solution or a developer should be easy. For a developer, it means easy access to the source code and the ability to fix things that don't work or get things fixed by someone else who finds the bug first and submits a patch.

Second, Apache Camel, at its core, is comparatively smaller in size than its counterpart and, hence, can be easily explored by going through the source code. For instance, one can easily browse through the existing components just to figure out how to make one's own component.

Third, Apache Camel has a very modular structure. Its core is small, but it comes with a lot of components that range from those working with e-mails to the ones that work as gates to the queues on AS/400 systems. Modularity also allows you to make your own components and weave them effortlessly into the existing infrastructure.