Learning Ratpack

Preface

Ratpack has had a long and wonderful history as an open source web framework for the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). As a high-performance, reactive web framework, it brings forth the fundamental concept that building succinct, lightweight web applications is only truly serviced when matched with performance, efficiency, productivity, and testability as first-class features.

As systems infrastructure moves increasingly to the cloud, the need has never been more apparent for applications to be built in a way that utilizes system resources as efficiently as possible. Ratpack’s emphasis on performance and efficiency means that robust web applications can be built to deliver high performance and low memory utilization. In this way, Ratpack aims to maximize your investment in compute resources, while facilitating a developer experience that is focused on productivity and risk reduction.

The need for high performance and efficient web applications means building asynchronous programming fixtures atop a nonblocking networking layer. The paradigms in asynchronous programming can be difficult for unacquainted developers to grasp, making web frameworks that build on these concepts unapproachable.

Indeed, even for the most seasoned of developers, asynchronous programming introduces a level of complexity that means the benefits must be carefully weighed against the increased cognitive overhead. With Ratpack, asynchronous programming is presented in a way that is meant to be digestible, ...