Welcome to Apache Incubator Etch

Etch is a cross-platform, language- and transport-independent framework for building and consuming network services. The Etch toolset includes a network service description language, a compiler, and binding libraries for a variety of programming languages. Etch is also transport-independent, allowing for a variety of different transports to be used based on need and circumstance. The goal of Etch is to make it simple to define small, focused services that can be easily accessed, combined, and deployed in a similar manner. With Etch, service development and consumption becomes no more difficult than library development and consumption.

Etch was started because we wanted to have a way to write a concise, formal description of the message exchange between a client and a server, with that message exchange supporting a hefty set of requirements:

• support one-way and two-way, real-time communication
  
• high performance and scalability
• support clients and servers written in different languages
• support clients/servers running in a wide range of contexts (such as thin web client, embedded device, PC application, or server)
• support anyone adding new language bindings and new transports
• be fast and small, while still being flexible enough to satisfy requirements
• finally, it must be easy to use for developers both implementing and/or consuming the service.

News

• Apache Incubator Etch 1.2.0
  The Apache Etch development team is really pleased to announce the new stable build Apache Etch 1.2.0-incubating.
  (2012-01-03)
  

• Apache Incubator Etch at FOSDEM 2011
  The Apache Etch project was present at FOSDEM 2011. Here you can finde the slides and a video stream.
  (2011-02-07)
  

Project Status

The Apache Incubator Etch project is permanently in progress. The latest stable version can be downloaded here. The language bindings are currently in different states:

• Java - stable
• C# - stable
• C - stable
• Google Go - alpha
• Javascript - alpha
• Python - alpha

Incubator Status

Apache Etch is an effort undergoing incubation at The Apache Software Foundation (ASF), sponsored by the Apache Incubator. Incubation is required of all newly accepted projects until a further review indicates that the infrastructure, communications, and decision making process have stabilized in a manner consistent with other successful ASF projects. While incubation status is not necessarily a reflection of the completeness or stability of the code, it does indicate that the project has yet to be fully endorsed by the ASF.