Apache Camel vs. Azure Logic Apps

Message brokering across different systems, with transactionality and the ability to have fine tuned control over what happens using Java (or other languages), instead of a heavy, proprietary languages. One situation that it doesn't fit very well (as far as I have experienced) is when your workflow requires significant data mapping. While possible when using Java tooling, some other visual data mapping tools in other integration frameworks are easier to work with.

Incentivized

Microsoft Azure Logic Apps was a perfect solution for us to integrate the apps and products we used in our business to create automated workflows which were also complex and very advanced. This was a very new feature for us, and also it reduced our software costs massively and also saved us a lot of time. With the crisis, we were in back then Azure turned out to be the best cost-friendly solution because we only had to pay for what we used!

Incentivized

• Camel has an easy learning curve. It is fairly well documented and there are about 5-6 books on Camel.
• There is a large user group and blogs devoted to all things Camel and the developers of Camel provide quick answers and have also been very quick to patch Camel, when bugs are reported.
• Camel integrates well with well known frameworks like Spring, and other middleware products like Apache Karaf and Servicemix.
• There are over 150 components for the Camel framework that help integrate with diverse software platforms.
• Camel is also good for creating microservices.

Incentivized

• Connecting to different services using OOB connectors
• Support for HTTP connectors which enables user to leverage RestAPIs
• Readability, i.e., it looks just like a Visio diagram. Even managers or HRs can have a look and get to know what's happening
• It's a Programmer's Lego. It's fun connecting them at the same time getting the work done

Incentivized

• didn't work well when our developers tried to transform heavy data sets
• Apache Camel's whole logic is based on java so team needs to have a great skill set in java
• if there are a handful of workflows then Apache Camel's full potential can't be realized

Incentivized

• It falls short of alerting capabilities.
• Microsoft Azure should be unclouded with its pricing. We don't always know how much an inclusion will affect the monthly price. So we have to speculate where we are with the price and if we can afford to include another asset.

Incentivized

Azure Logic Apps on the surface are very intuitive. There is definitely room for improvement but it was very well laid out. The main thing with the UI is that its baked into Azure which at times can be a confusing platform to navigate. This is not the fault of Azure Logic Apps for the Azure platform.

Incentivized

As with other Microsoft Azure support, Microsoft Logic Apps is hit or miss depending on the issue you are having. If it's simple then the resolution can be very quick. If it requires an engineer to review, then it will take them quite a while to look up a solution as they dig through.

If you are looking for a Java-based open source low cost equivalent to webMethods or Azure Logic Apps, Apache Camel is an excellent choice as it is mature and widely deployed, and included in many vendored Java application servers too such as Redhat JBoss EAP. Apache Camel is lacking on the GUI tooling side compared to commercial products such as webMethods or Azure Logic Apps.

Incentivized

This is very dependent on the line of work you are in and the unique company requirements, as is the case with everything. We utilize Azure Logic Apps for all of our computing solutions within our domain, and it has always worked flawlessly. One of the simplest clouds to set up and use is by far the most popular.

Incentivized

• Very fast time to market in that so many components are available to use immediately.
• Error handling mechanisms and patterns of practice are robust and easy to use which in turn has made our application more robust from the start, so fewer bugs.
• However, testing and debugging routes is more challenging than working is standard Java so that takes more time (less time than writing the components from scratch).
• Most people don't know Camel coming in and many junior developers find it overwhelming and are not enthusiastic to learn it. So finding people that want to develop/maintain it is a challenge.

Incentivized

• Moving to Serverless Computing obviously makes the organization get rid of dependent Infra.
• ROI can be seen immediately as the required infra can be decommissioned after a successful quarter run.
• Being deployed as a single entity or single app on Azure Logic Apps, Organizations need to be more careful with controls applied to meet compliance and security posture.

Incentivized