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title: The C++ Actor Framework
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    <h1 style="padding-top: 20pt; color: #004358">
      <b>CAF</b><br>
      The C++ Actor Framework
    </h1>
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      &nbsp;
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      <h1><b>
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        In a Nutshell
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      <p>
        CAF offers a high-level programming environment based on the
        <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actor_model"
           target="_blank">Actor Model</a> of computation combined with an
        efficient, native runtime environment that lets you build scalable
        applications. For example,
        <a href="https://blog.actor-framework.org/2019-04/spotlight-lumicks"
           target="_blank">software for molecular research</a>,
        <a href="https://blog.actor-framework.org/2015-11/spotlight-bro"
           target="_blank">communication backends for distributed network
           security monitoring</a> or even
        <a href="https://blog.actor-framework.org/2014-12/spotlight-dual-universe"
           target="_blank">massive multiplayer online games</a>.
      </p>
      <p>
        The framework is open source, available on
        <a href="https://github.com/actor-framework/actor-framework" target="_blank">GitHub</a>
        under the 3-Clause BSD License, and in active development since 2011.
        Professional support, training, and consulting are available from
        <a href="https://www.interance.io" target="_blank">Interance</a>, the
        company behind CAF.
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      &nbsp;
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        <p><h1>Scalable Abstractions</h1></p>
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            <p>
              Network-transparent messaging combined with a shared nothing
              architecture enables actors to run concurrently without risking
              data races. Once applications outgrow a single machine, CAF
              enables users to scale out seamlessly by distributing actors
              across the network.
            </p>
            <p>
              Actors naturally thrive in an ever-changing environment and scale
              horizontally just as easily as vertically. This makes actors the
              perfect fit for building applications that grow and shrink
              dynamically with user demand.
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        <p><h1>Native Execution</h1></p>
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            <p>
              Leveraging C++ enables us to tightly control memory layout as well
              as actor scheduling. As a result, CAF actors consist of only a few
              hundred bytes and the messaging layer reclaims memory as soon as
              possible.
            </p>
            <p>
              Whether building large-scale applications that live in the cloud,
              or IoT application that run on resource-constrained devices, CAF
              users can rely on a low memory footprint and fast execution thanks
              to a minimal runtime overhead.
            </p>
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        <p><h1>Resilient Design</h1></p>
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            <p>
              Distributed systems have many sources of errors. Writing software
              for the real world means to anticipate partial failures and to
              gracefully respond to hardware, software and network errors. CAF
              cannot make crashes and bugs go away, but it equips you with the
              tools to manage them.
            </p>
            <p>
              Actor-based design organizes applications into sub-systems with
              failover strategies that allow forming supervision trees. These
              techniques proved themselves in practice time and time again for
              building reliable, fault tolerant systems.
            </p>
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    &nbsp;
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      <h1><b>
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        Community
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      <h2>
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        GitHub
      </h2>
      <p>
        Our main repository at
        <a href="https://github.com/actor-framework/actor-framework"
           target="_blank">github.com/actor-framework/actor-framework</a>
        is where the CAF community comes together to collaborate on the
        project.
      </p>
      <p>
        Whether you found a bug, have an idea for an improvement, want to
        submit patches, or simply want to stay up-to-date with ongoing
        developments: we are always looking forward to welcome new
        developers!
      </p>
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      <h2>
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        Twitter
      </h2>
      <p>
        Never miss a release or other important updates by following
        <a href="https://twitter.com/actor_framework"
           target="_blank">@actor_framework</a> on Twitter! Likes and
         retweets that help us spread the word are much appreciated!
      </p>
      <p>
        Our Twitter handle is managed directly by the maintainers of the
        open source project, so Twitter is also a great place to get in
        touch with the people behind the framework.
      </p>
    </div>
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      <h2>
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        Messaging
      </h2>
      <p>
        Come and say hi on
        <a href="https://gitter.im/actor-framework/chat"
          target="_blank">gitter.im/actor-framework</a>! Our chat room is a
        great place to get in touch with other CAF users and to ask quick
        questions.
      </p>
      <p>
        Becoming a member of our user mailing list at
        <a href="https://groups.google.com/d/forum/actor-framework"
           target="_blank">actor-framework@googlegroups.com</a>
        connects you to CAF users around the world for sharing your
        thoughts, asking questions and participating in online discussions
        surrounding CAF.
      </p>
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      <h2>
        <img src="/static/img/research.png" style="width: 1em">
        Research
      </h2>
      <p>
        Many years of research at the
        <a href="http://inet.haw-hamburg.de"
           target="_blank">INET working group</a>
        of the
        <a href="https://www.haw-hamburg.de/en/"
           target="_blank">Hamburg University of Applied Sciences</a>
        guided the development of CAF. When using CAF in a scientific
        context, please
        <a href="https://github.com/actor-framework/actor-framework#scientific-use"
           target="_blank">cite one of our primary publications</a>.
      </p>
      <p>
        The INET working group is always open for joint research projects or
        other forms of collaborations. Please contact
        <a href="https://inet.haw-hamburg.de/members/schmidt"
          target="_blank">Thomas C. Schmidt</a> for questions related to
        formal project establishment.
      </p>
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    <h1><b>
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      Our Users Include
    </b></h1>
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    <a href="http://www.atscom.it/sitowp/en/" target="_blank">
      <img style="height: 80px; margin: 2em" src="/static/img/ats.png">
    </a>
    <a href="https://corelight.com" target="_blank">
      <img style="height: 80px; margin: 2em" src="/static/img/corelight.png">
    </a>
    <a href="https://www.dneg.com/xstudio" target="_blank">
      <img style="height: 80px; margin: 2em" src="/static/img/dneg.png">
    </a>
    <a href="https://glvi.de" target="_blank">
      <img style="height: 80px; margin: 2em" src="/static/img/glvi.png">
    </a>
    <a href="https://lumicks.com" target="_blank">
      <img style="height: 80px; margin: 2em" src="/static/img/lumicks.png">
    </a>
    <a href="https://www.dualuniverse.game" target="_blank">
      <img style="height: 80px; margin: 2em" src="/static/img/novaquark.png">
    </a>
    <a href="https://www.sparklingrocks.it" target="_blank">
      <img style="height: 80px; margin: 2em" src="/static/img/sparkling-rocks.png">
    </a>
    <a href="https://tenzir.com/" target="_blank">
      <img style="height: 80px; margin: 2em" src="/static/img/tenzir.png">
    </a>
  </div>
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      <h1><b>
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        Getting Started
      </b></h1>
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      <h2>
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        Examples
      </h2>
      <p>
        The
        <a href="https://github.com/actor-framework/actor-framework/tree/master/examples"
           target="_blank">examples folder</a> in the main repository
         contains many small applications showcasing selected features of
         the framework. Of course, the folder also contains the obligatory
        <a href="https://github.com/actor-framework/actor-framework/blob/master/examples/hello_world.cpp"
           target="_blank">Hello World</a>.
      </p>
      <p>
        We strongly recommend looking at the message passing examples first
        to get an initial feeling for the framework. Afterwards, the
        remoting examples will help you to distribute your CAF applications.
      </p>
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      <h2>
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        Documentation
      </h2>
      <p>
        The
        <a href="https://actor-framework.readthedocs.io/en/stable"
           target="_blank">user manual</a> discusses CAF feature by
        feature and highlights selected components such as the scheduler.
        The introduction chapter also explains terminology and concepts we
        use throughout all of our resources.
      </p>
      <p>
        Complementary to the user manual, our
        <a href="/doxygen/">Doxygen documentation</a> contains details on all
        public API classes and functions.
      </p>
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      <h2>
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        Support
      </h2>
      <p>
        Are you considering CAF for your next software project? Get professional
        support directly from the creators and maintainers of CAF at
        <a href="https://www.interance.io" target="_blank">interance.io</a>!
      </p>
      <p>
        We offer a variety of services to help you get the most out of CAF.
        Including support contracts, consulting, and training.
      </p>
    </div>
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