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Getting Started

Get up and running with Forage in minutes.

Prerequisites

Install the Forage Plugin

Forage extends Camel JBang with the forage plugin. Install it once:

camel plugin add forage --gav io.kaoto.forage:camel-jbang-plugin-forage:1.2-SNAPSHOT

Verify the installation:

camel forage --help

Once installed, the standard camel run and camel export commands automatically discover Forage dependencies from your properties files — no --dep flags needed. The plugin also adds camel forage config and camel forage datasource subcommands for configuration management.

Your First Route

Let's build a simple route that queries a PostgreSQL database.

1. Start a database

camel infra run postgres

Create a test table:

docker exec -i camel-postgres psql -U postgres -c \
  "CREATE TABLE users (id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT); \
   INSERT INTO users (name) VALUES ('Alice'), ('Bob');"

2. Create the route

Create a file called route.camel.yaml:

- route:
    from:
      uri: timer:query
      parameters:
        period: "5000"
      steps:
        - to:
            uri: sql
            parameters:
              query: select * from users
              dataSource: "#myDatabase"
        - log:
            message: "Users: ${body}"

3. Configure the datasource

Create a file called application.properties:

forage.myDatabase.jdbc.db.kind=postgresql
forage.myDatabase.jdbc.url=jdbc:postgresql://localhost:5432/test
forage.myDatabase.jdbc.username=test
forage.myDatabase.jdbc.password=test

The myDatabase prefix becomes the bean name — Forage registers a pooled datasource as #myDatabase in the Camel registry. No Java code, no bean definitions.

4. Run it

camel run *

You should see the query results logged every 5 seconds:

Users: [{id=1, name=Alice}, {id=2, name=Bob}]

5. Export to production

When you're ready to deploy, export to Spring Boot or Quarkus:

camel export --runtime=spring-boot --directory=./my-app

camel export --runtime=quarkus --directory=./my-app

What's Next?

  • Explore the Core Concepts to understand how Forage works
  • Browse working Examples covering JDBC, JMS, transactions, and AI agents
  • See all available Modules for a full list of supported technologies