I am a huge fan of Camel JBang. It has completely transformed my daily workflow, allowing me to move at the speed of thought. By removing the friction of project setup, I can focus entirely on the logic of my integrations, working more comfortably and accelerating the path from a blank page to a running solution.
To share that experience, I’ve been working on something a bit different. I’ve created two new, "sporty" hands-on scenarios that turn learning Apache Camel into a high-energy experience.
I wanted to move away from dry, corporate "Hello World" examples. Instead, these labs use competitive logic to teach you the fundamentals through action:
The Tennis Match: In this scenario, you’ll discover the core Camel JBang commands by orchestrating a tennis match. The Camel routes define the players and their on-court behaviors. As you run and modify the code, you'll see the "volley" of messages representing the match's progress, helping you visualize exactly how Camel handles event flow. Let me show you an example of a Camel JBang command during the lab. The send command allows you to produce a message. In this example, player one gets to serve a ball to start a rally:
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The Grand Prix: We kick things into high gear with a motor racing event. You’ll enact a race to explore more advanced CLI features. It’s a fast-paced way to learn how to manage multiple routes, handle real-time data updates, and monitor the "telemetry" of your integration using the Camel JBang dashboard. See below another lab example to start “Team Camel” and flag it to run in the background. Try it out during the lab to see how the team deploys its racing car on track:
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Why Camel JBang?
For those who haven't yet made the switch, Camel JBang is the fast-track CLI for Apache Camel. It represents a real evolution in developer experience:
- Instant Start: Run routes immediately without a pom.xml or heavy boilerplate. Just
camel run myfile.yaml. - Live Evolution: Use the
--devflag to see changes reflected the moment you hit save, perfect for tweaking player behavior or race strategy in real-time. - Integrated Monitoring: Peek inside your running routes to check performance and message flow directly from your terminal with commands like
camel getandcamel top.
Choose Your Arena: Local or Cloud
I’ve designed these scenarios to be flexible based on how you prefer to work:
- From Your Terminal: If you already have Camel JBang installed, you can jump straight into the action. There is no need to clone a repository; you can simply follow the guided instructions on the project's GitHub pages and copy-paste the commands directly into your terminal.
- In the Browser (The "Pro" Experience): For the smoothest experience, I recommend running them via the Red Hat Developer Sandbox. I’ve pre-configured everything so that with one click, you get a full VS Code-style environment in your browser with all the tools already installed. No setup, no configuration hurdles.
Ready to Step Up?
Whether you're a seasoned Camel veteran or a rookie looking to learn the ropes, these scenarios are designed to be both useful and engaging to watch.
Head over to the devsandbox-camel-jbang repository, pick your favorite scenario, and see for yourself how Camel JBang can put your integration development into the fast lane.
Take it to the Next Level
If you enjoyed these "sporty" scenarios and want to dive deeper, we can help! You can contact Red Hat to schedule a full-day, hands-on workshop for your team. It’s a great way to discover the full potential of Camel JBang, Apache Camel, and how Red Hat Application Foundations can streamline your entire integration strategy.
Want to learn more?
Here are some recommended resources for additional learning:
- Find the featured Camel JBang scenarios in this GitHub repository.
- Explore the 'infra' command in: Simplify local prototyping with Camel JBang infrastructure.
- Visit the Apache Camel page on Red Hat Developer to learn more about the capabilities of Apache Camel.
- Try Apache Camel in the Red Hat Developer Sandbox. No local installs are needed, and it's fully web-based. If you're new to the sandbox, read How to access the Developer Sandbox for Red Hat OpenShift.
- Try combining Camel and AI in this easy tutorial.
