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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, using the version that matches your Camel release:

camel plugin add forage --gav io.kaoto.forage:camel-jbang-plugin-forage:1.3

camel plugin add forage --gav io.kaoto.forage:camel-jbang-plugin-forage:1.5.0

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
  • Try the latest development features with Snapshot Builds