Helidon is a cloud-native, open-source Java framework designed for building microservices that operate on a high-performance web core powered by Java virtual threads. It offers two programming models: Helidon SE, a lightweight toolkit embracing functional programming and reactive streams, and Helidon MP, which implements the Eclipse MicroProfile specification, providing familiar APIs like JAX-RS, CDI, and JSON-P/B. Helidon is crafted to be simple and fast, with tooling and examples to get developers started quickly.
Key Features and Functionality:
- Lightweight and Fast: Helidon is designed to be simple to use, with tooling and examples to get developers started quickly.
- Full MicroProfile Support: Helidon supports MicroProfile and provides familiar APIs like JAX-RS, CDI, and JSON-P/B.
- Helidon WebServer: Helidon WebServer provides a modern functional programming model and runs on virtual threads.
- Observable and Resilient: With support for health checks, metrics, telemetry, and fault tolerance, Helidon has what you need to write cloud-ready applications that integrate with OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, Jaeger/Zipkin, and Kubernetes.
- GraalVM Native Image Support: Helidon supports GraalVM Native Image so you can compile your Helidon application into a small-footprint native executable.
- Persistence Support: Helidon fully supports DB connectivity. Its database client supports existing JDBC drivers as well as relational and non-relational databases.
Primary Value and Problem Solved:
Helidon addresses the need for a lightweight, efficient, and developer-friendly framework for building Java microservices. By leveraging virtual threads, it simplifies concurrent programming, allowing developers to write high-throughput applications with ease. Its support for industry standards like MicroProfile ensures compatibility and portability across different environments. Additionally, Helidon's observability features and integration with cloud-native tools enable developers to create resilient and maintainable microservices, reducing the complexity and overhead typically associated with microservices development.