Style guide

This is a style guide with recommendations of idioms and patterns for writing Akka actors. Note that this guide does not cover the classic actor API.

As with all style guides, treat this as a list of rules to be broken. There are certainly times when alternative styles should be preferred over the ones given here.

Functional versus object-oriented style

There are two flavors of the Actor APIs.

1. The functional programming style where you pass a function to a factory which then constructs a behavior, for stateful actors this means passing immutable state around as parameters and switching to a new behavior whenever you need to act on a changed state.
2. The object-oriented style where a concrete class for the actor behavior is defined and mutable state is kept inside of it as fields.

An example of a counter actor implemented in the functional style:

Scala

copysource
import akka.actor.typed.Behavior
import akka.actor.typed.scaladsl.ActorContext
import akka.actor.typed.scaladsl.Behaviors

object Counter {
  sealed trait Command
  case object Increment extends Command
  final case class GetValue(replyTo: ActorRef[Value]) extends Command
  final case class Value(n: Int)

  def apply(): Behavior[Command] =
    counter(0)

  private def counter(n: Int): Behavior[Command] =
    Behaviors.receive { (context, message) =>
      message match {
        case Increment =>
          val newValue = n + 1
          context.log.debug("Incremented counter to [{}]", newValue)
          counter(newValue)
        case GetValue(replyTo) =>
          replyTo ! Value(n)
          Behaviors.same
      }
    }
}

Java

copysourceimport akka.actor.typed.Behavior;
import akka.actor.typed.SupervisorStrategy;
import akka.actor.typed.javadsl.ActorContext;
import akka.actor.typed.javadsl.Behaviors;

public class Counter {
  public interface Command {}

  public enum Increment implements Command {
    INSTANCE
  }

  public static class GetValue implements Command {
    public final ActorRef<Value> replyTo;

    public GetValue(ActorRef<Value> replyTo) {
      this.replyTo = replyTo;
    }
  }

  public static class Value {
    public final int value;

    public Value(int value) {
      this.value = value;
    }
  }

  public static Behavior<Command> create() {
    return Behaviors.setup(context -> counter(context, 0));
  }

  private static Behavior<Command> counter(final ActorContext<Command> context, final int n) {

    return Behaviors.receive(Command.class)
        .onMessage(Increment.class, notUsed -> onIncrement(context, n))
        .onMessage(GetValue.class, command -> onGetValue(n, command))
        .build();
  }

  private static Behavior<Command> onIncrement(ActorContext<Command> context, int n) {
    int newValue = n + 1;
    context.getLog().debug("Incremented counter to [{}]", newValue);
    return counter(context, newValue);
  }

  private static Behavior<Command> onGetValue(int n, GetValue command) {
    command.replyTo.tell(new Value(n));
    return Behaviors.same();
  }
}

Corresponding actor implemented in the object-oriented style:

Scala

copysource
import akka.actor.typed.Behavior
import akka.actor.typed.scaladsl.ActorContext
import akka.actor.typed.scaladsl.Behaviors
import akka.actor.typed.scaladsl.AbstractBehavior
import org.slf4j.Logger

object Counter {
  sealed trait Command
  case object Increment extends Command
  final case class GetValue(replyTo: ActorRef[Value]) extends Command
  final case class Value(n: Int)

  def apply(): Behavior[Command] = {
    Behaviors.setup(context => new Counter(context))
  }
}

class Counter(context: ActorContext[Counter.Command]) extends AbstractBehavior[Counter.Command](context) {
  import Counter._

  private var n = 0

  override def onMessage(msg: Command): Behavior[Counter.Command] = {
    msg match {
      case Increment =>
        n += 1
        context.log.debug("Incremented counter to [{}]", n)
        this
      case GetValue(replyTo) =>
        replyTo ! Value(n)
        this
    }
  }
}

Java

copysourceimport akka.actor.typed.Behavior;
import akka.actor.typed.SupervisorStrategy;
import akka.actor.typed.javadsl.ActorContext;
import akka.actor.typed.javadsl.Behaviors;
import akka.actor.typed.javadsl.AbstractBehavior;
import akka.actor.typed.javadsl.Receive;

public class Counter extends AbstractBehavior<Counter.Command> {

  public interface Command {}

  public enum Increment implements Command {
    INSTANCE
  }

  public static class GetValue implements Command {
    public final ActorRef<Value> replyTo;

    public GetValue(ActorRef<Value> replyTo) {
      this.replyTo = replyTo;
    }
  }

  public static class Value {
    public final int value;

    public Value(int value) {
      this.value = value;
    }
  }

  public static Behavior<Command> create() {
    return Behaviors.setup(Counter::new);
  }

  private int n;

  private Counter(ActorContext<Command> context) {
    super(context);
  }

  @Override
  public Receive<Command> createReceive() {
    return newReceiveBuilder()
        .onMessage(Increment.class, notUsed -> onIncrement())
        .onMessage(GetValue.class, this::onGetValue)
        .build();
  }

  private Behavior<Command> onIncrement() {
    n++;
    getContext().getLog().debug("Incremented counter to [{}]", n);
    return this;
  }

  private Behavior<Command> onGetValue(GetValue command) {
    command.replyTo.tell(new Value(n));
    return this;
  }
}

Some similarities to note:

• Messages are defined in the same way.
• Both have an apply factory method in the companion objecta static create factory method to create the initial behavior, i.e. from the outside they are used in the same way.
• Pattern matchingMatching and handling of the messages are done in the same way.
• The ActorContext API is the same.

A few differences to note:

• There is no class in the functional style, but that is not strictly a requirement and sometimes it’s convenient to use a class also with the functional style to reduce number of parameters in the methods.
• Mutable state, such as the var nint n is typically used in the object-oriented style.
• In the functional style the state is updated by returning a new behavior that holds the new immutable state, the n: Intfinal int n parameter of the counter method.
• The object-oriented style must use a new instance of the initial Behavior for each spawned actor instance, since the state in AbstractBehavior instance must not be shared between actor instances. This is “hidden” in the functional style since the immutable state is captured by the function.
• In the object-oriented style one can return this to stay with the same behavior for next message. In the functional style there is no this so Behaviors.same is used instead.
• The ActorContext is accessed in different ways. In the object-oriented style it’s retrieved from Behaviors.setup and kept as an instance field, while in the functional style it’s passed in alongside the message. That said, Behaviors.setup is often used in the functional style as well, and then often together with Behaviors.receiveMessage that doesn’t pass in the context with the message. The ActorContext is accessed with Behaviors.setup but then kept in different ways. As an instance field versus a method parameter.

Which style you choose to use is a matter of taste and both styles can be mixed depending on which is best for a specific actor. An actor can switch between behaviors implemented in different styles. For example, it may have an initial behavior that is only stashing messages until some initial query has been completed and then switching over to its main active behavior that is maintaining some mutable state. Such initial behavior is nice in the functional style and the active behavior may be better with the object-oriented style.

We would recommend using the tool that is best for the job. The APIs are similar in many ways to make it easy to learn both. You may of course also decide to just stick to one style for consistency and familiarity reasons.

Passing around too many parameters

One thing you will quickly run into when using the functional style is that you need to pass around many parameters.

Let’s add name parameter and timers to the previous Counter example. A first approach would be to just add those as separate parameters:

Scala

copysource
// this is an anti-example, better solutions exists
object Counter {
  sealed trait Command
  case object Increment extends Command
  final case class IncrementRepeatedly(interval: FiniteDuration) extends Command
  final case class GetValue(replyTo: ActorRef[Value]) extends Command
  final case class Value(n: Int)

  def apply(name: String): Behavior[Command] =
    Behaviors.withTimers { timers =>
      counter(name, timers, 0)
    }

  private def counter(name: String, timers: TimerScheduler[Command], n: Int): Behavior[Command] =
    Behaviors.receive { (context, message) =>
      message match {
        case IncrementRepeatedly(interval) =>
          context.log.debug(
            "[{}] Starting repeated increments with interval [{}], current count is [{}]",
            name,
            interval.toString,
            n.toString)
          timers.startTimerWithFixedDelay(Increment, interval)
          Behaviors.same
        case Increment =>
          val newValue = n + 1
          context.log.debug("[{}] Incremented counter to [{}]", name, newValue)
          counter(name, timers, newValue)
        case GetValue(replyTo) =>
          replyTo ! Value(n)
          Behaviors.same
      }
    }
}

Java

copysource
// this is an anti-example, better solutions exists
public class Counter {
  public interface Command {}

  public static class IncrementRepeatedly implements Command {
    public final Duration interval;

    public IncrementRepeatedly(Duration interval) {
      this.interval = interval;
    }
  }

  public enum Increment implements Command {
    INSTANCE
  }

  public static class GetValue implements Command {
    public final ActorRef<Value> replyTo;

    public GetValue(ActorRef<Value> replyTo) {
      this.replyTo = replyTo;
    }
  }

  public static class Value {
    public final int value;

    public Value(int value) {
      this.value = value;
    }
  }

  public static Behavior<Command> create(String name) {
    return Behaviors.setup(
        context -> Behaviors.withTimers(timers -> counter(name, context, timers, 0)));
  }

  private static Behavior<Command> counter(
      final String name,
      final ActorContext<Command> context,
      final TimerScheduler<Command> timers,
      final int n) {

    return Behaviors.receive(Command.class)
        .onMessage(
            IncrementRepeatedly.class,
            command -> onIncrementRepeatedly(name, context, timers, n, command))
        .onMessage(Increment.class, notUsed -> onIncrement(name, context, timers, n))
        .onMessage(GetValue.class, command -> onGetValue(n, command))
        .build();
  }

  private static Behavior<Command> onIncrementRepeatedly(
      String name,
      ActorContext<Command> context,
      TimerScheduler<Command> timers,
      int n,
      IncrementRepeatedly command) {
    context
        .getLog()
        .debug(
            "[{}] Starting repeated increments with interval [{}], current count is [{}]",
            name,
            command.interval,
            n);
    timers.startTimerWithFixedDelay(Increment.INSTANCE, command.interval);
    return Behaviors.same();
  }

  private static Behavior<Command> onIncrement(
      String name, ActorContext<Command> context, TimerScheduler<Command> timers, int n) {
    int newValue = n + 1;
    context.getLog().debug("[{}] Incremented counter to [{}]", name, newValue);
    return counter(name, context, timers, newValue);
  }

  private static Behavior<Command> onGetValue(int n, GetValue command) {
    command.replyTo.tell(new Value(n));
    return Behaviors.same();
  }
}

Ouch, that doesn’t look good. More things may be needed, such as stashing or application specific “constructor” parameters. As you can imagine, that will be too much boilerplate.

As a first step we can place all these parameters in a class so that we at least only have to pass around one thing. Still good to have the “changing” state, the n: Intfinal int n here, as a separate parameter.

Scala

copysource
// this is better than previous example, but even better solution exists
object Counter {
  sealed trait Command
  case object Increment extends Command
  final case class IncrementRepeatedly(interval: FiniteDuration) extends Command
  final case class GetValue(replyTo: ActorRef[Value]) extends Command
  final case class Value(n: Int)

  private case class Setup(name: String, context: ActorContext[Command], timers: TimerScheduler[Command])

  def apply(name: String): Behavior[Command] =
    Behaviors.setup { context =>
      Behaviors.withTimers { timers =>
        counter(Setup(name, context, timers), 0)
      }
    }

  private def counter(setup: Setup, n: Int): Behavior[Command] =
    Behaviors.receiveMessage {
      case IncrementRepeatedly(interval) =>
        setup.context.log.debug(
          "[{}] Starting repeated increments with interval [{}], current count is [{}]",
          setup.name,
          interval,
          n)
        setup.timers.startTimerWithFixedDelay(Increment, interval)
        Behaviors.same
      case Increment =>
        val newValue = n + 1
        setup.context.log.debug("[{}] Incremented counter to [{}]", setup.name, newValue)
        counter(setup, newValue)
      case GetValue(replyTo) =>
        replyTo ! Value(n)
        Behaviors.same
    }
}

Java

copysource
// this is better than previous example, but even better solution exists
public class Counter {
  // messages omitted for brevity, same messages as above example

  private static class Setup {
    final String name;
    final ActorContext<Command> context;
    final TimerScheduler<Command> timers;

    private Setup(String name, ActorContext<Command> context, TimerScheduler<Command> timers) {
      this.name = name;
      this.context = context;
      this.timers = timers;
    }
  }

  public static Behavior<Command> create(String name) {
    return Behaviors.setup(
        context ->
            Behaviors.withTimers(timers -> counter(new Setup(name, context, timers), 0)));
  }

  private static Behavior<Command> counter(final Setup setup, final int n) {

    return Behaviors.receive(Command.class)
        .onMessage(
            IncrementRepeatedly.class, command -> onIncrementRepeatedly(setup, n, command))
        .onMessage(Increment.class, notUsed -> onIncrement(setup, n))
        .onMessage(GetValue.class, command -> onGetValue(n, command))
        .build();
  }

  private static Behavior<Command> onIncrementRepeatedly(
      Setup setup, int n, IncrementRepeatedly command) {
    setup
        .context
        .getLog()
        .debug(
            "[{}] Starting repeated increments with interval [{}], current count is [{}]",
            setup.name,
            command.interval,
            n);
    setup.timers.startTimerWithFixedDelay(Increment.INSTANCE, command.interval);
    return Behaviors.same();
  }

  private static Behavior<Command> onIncrement(Setup setup, int n) {
    int newValue = n + 1;
    setup.context.getLog().debug("[{}] Incremented counter to [{}]", setup.name, newValue);
    return counter(setup, newValue);
  }

  private static Behavior<Command> onGetValue(int n, GetValue command) {
    command.replyTo.tell(new Value(n));
    return Behaviors.same();
  }
}

That’s better. Only one thing to carry around and easy to add more things to it without rewriting everything. Note that we also placed the ActorContext in the Setup class, and therefore switched from Behaviors.receive to Behaviors.receiveMessage since we already have access to the context.

It’s still rather annoying to have to pass the same thing around everywhere.

We can do better by introducing an enclosing class, even though it’s still using the functional style. The “constructor” parameters can be immutablefinal instance fields and can be accessed from member methods.

Scala

copysource
// this is better than previous examples
object Counter {
  sealed trait Command
  case object Increment extends Command
  final case class IncrementRepeatedly(interval: FiniteDuration) extends Command
  final case class GetValue(replyTo: ActorRef[Value]) extends Command
  final case class Value(n: Int)

  def apply(name: String): Behavior[Command] =
    Behaviors.setup { context =>
      Behaviors.withTimers { timers =>
        new Counter(name, context, timers).counter(0)
      }
    }
}

class Counter private (
    name: String,
    context: ActorContext[Counter.Command],
    timers: TimerScheduler[Counter.Command]) {
  import Counter._

  private def counter(n: Int): Behavior[Command] =
    Behaviors.receiveMessage {
      case IncrementRepeatedly(interval) =>
        context.log.debug(
          "[{}] Starting repeated increments with interval [{}], current count is [{}]",
          name,
          interval,
          n)
        timers.startTimerWithFixedDelay(Increment, interval)
        Behaviors.same
      case Increment =>
        val newValue = n + 1
        context.log.debug("[{}] Incremented counter to [{}]", name, newValue)
        counter(newValue)
      case GetValue(replyTo) =>
        replyTo ! Value(n)
        Behaviors.same
    }
}

Java

copysource
// this is better than previous examples
public class Counter {
  // messages omitted for brevity, same messages as above example

  public static Behavior<Command> create(String name) {
    return Behaviors.setup(
        context ->
            Behaviors.withTimers(timers -> new Counter(name, context, timers).counter(0)));
  }

  private final String name;
  private final ActorContext<Command> context;
  private final TimerScheduler<Command> timers;

  private Counter(String name, ActorContext<Command> context, TimerScheduler<Command> timers) {
    this.name = name;
    this.context = context;
    this.timers = timers;
  }

  private Behavior<Command> counter(final int n) {
    return Behaviors.receive(Command.class)
        .onMessage(IncrementRepeatedly.class, command -> onIncrementRepeatedly(n, command))
        .onMessage(Increment.class, notUsed -> onIncrement(n))
        .onMessage(GetValue.class, command -> onGetValue(n, command))
        .build();
  }

  private Behavior<Command> onIncrementRepeatedly(int n, IncrementRepeatedly command) {
    context
        .getLog()
        .debug(
            "[{}] Starting repeated increments with interval [{}], current count is [{}]",
            name,
            command.interval,
            n);
    timers.startTimerWithFixedDelay(Increment.INSTANCE, command.interval);
    return Behaviors.same();
  }

  private Behavior<Command> onIncrement(int n) {
    int newValue = n + 1;
    context.getLog().debug("[{}] Incremented counter to [{}]", name, newValue);
    return counter(newValue);
  }

  private Behavior<Command> onGetValue(int n, GetValue command) {
    command.replyTo.tell(new Value(n));
    return Behaviors.same();
  }
}

That’s nice. One thing to be cautious with here is that it’s important that you create a new instance for each spawned actor, since those parameters must not be shared between different actor instances. That comes natural when creating the instance from Behaviors.setup as in the above example. Having a apply factory method in the companion object and making the constructor private is recommended. static create factory method and making the constructor private is recommended.

This can also be useful when testing the behavior by creating a test subclass that overrides certain methods in the class. The test would create the instance without the apply factory methodstatic create factory method. Then you need to relax the visibility constraints of the constructor and methods.

It’s not recommended to place mutable state and var membersnon-final members in the enclosing class. It would be correct from an actor thread-safety perspective as long as the same instance of the enclosing class is not shared between different actor instances, but if that is what you need you should rather use the object-oriented style with the AbstractBehavior class.

Behavior factory method

The initial behavior should be created via a factory method in the companion objecta static factory method. Thereby the usage of the behavior doesn’t change when the implementation is changed, for example if changing between object-oriented and function style.

The factory method is a good place for retrieving resources like Behaviors.withTimers, Behaviors.withStash and ActorContext with Behaviors.setup.

When using the object-oriented style, AbstractBehavior, a new instance should be created from a Behaviors.setup block in this factory method even though the ActorContext is not needed. This is important because a new instance should be created when restart supervision is used. Typically, the ActorContext is needed anyway.

The naming convention for the factory method is apply (when using Scala)create (when using Java). Consistent naming makes it easier for readers of the code to find the “starting point” of the behavior.

In the functional style the factory could even have been defined as a valstatic field if all state is immutable and captured by the function, but since most behaviors need some initialization parameters it is preferred to consistently use a method (def) for the factory.

Example:

Scala

copysourceobject CountDown {
  sealed trait Command
  case object Down extends Command

  // factory for the initial `Behavior`
  def apply(countDownFrom: Int, notifyWhenZero: ActorRef[Done]): Behavior[Command] =
    new CountDown(notifyWhenZero).counter(countDownFrom)
}

private class CountDown(notifyWhenZero: ActorRef[Done]) {
  import CountDown._

  private def counter(remaining: Int): Behavior[Command] = {
    Behaviors.receiveMessage {
      case Down =>
        if (remaining == 1) {
          notifyWhenZero.tell(Done)
          Behaviors.stopped
        } else
          counter(remaining - 1)
    }
  }

}

Java

copysourcepublic class CountDown extends AbstractBehavior<CountDown.Command> {

  public interface Command {}

  public enum Down implements Command {
    INSTANCE
  }

  // factory for the initial `Behavior`
  public static Behavior<Command> create(int countDownFrom, ActorRef<Done> notifyWhenZero) {
    return Behaviors.setup(context -> new CountDown(context, countDownFrom, notifyWhenZero));
  }

  private final ActorRef<Done> notifyWhenZero;
  private int remaining;

  private CountDown(
      ActorContext<Command> context, int countDownFrom, ActorRef<Done> notifyWhenZero) {
    super(context);
    this.remaining = countDownFrom;
    this.notifyWhenZero = notifyWhenZero;
  }

  @Override
  public Receive<Command> createReceive() {
    return newReceiveBuilder().onMessage(Down.class, notUsed -> onDown()).build();
  }

  private Behavior<Command> onDown() {
    remaining--;
    if (remaining == 0) {
      notifyWhenZero.tell(Done.getInstance());
      return Behaviors.stopped();
    } else {
      return this;
    }
  }
}

When spawning an actor from this initial behavior it looks like:

Scala

copysourceval countDown = context.spawn(CountDown(100, doneRef), "countDown")

Java

copysourceActorRef<CountDown.Command> countDown =
    context.spawn(CountDown.create(100, doneRef), "countDown");

Where to define messages

When sending or receiving actor messages they should be prefixed with the name of the actor/behavior that defines them to avoid ambiguities.

Scala

copysourcecountDown ! CountDown.Down

Java

copysourcecountDown.tell(CountDown.Down.INSTANCE);

Such a style is preferred over using importing Down and using countDown ! Down importing Down and using countDown.tell(Down.INSTANCE);. However, within the Behavior that handle these messages the short names can be used.

Therefore it is not recommended to define messages as top-level classes.

For the majority of cases it’s good style to define the messages in the companion objectas static inner classes together with the Behavior.

Scala

copysourceobject Counter {
  sealed trait Command
  case object Increment extends Command
  final case class GetValue(replyTo: ActorRef[Value]) extends Command
  final case class Value(n: Int)
}

Java

copysourcepublic class Counter extends AbstractBehavior<Counter.Command> {

  public interface Command {}

  public enum Increment implements Command {
    INSTANCE
  }

  public static class GetValue implements Command {
    public final ActorRef<Value> replyTo;

    public GetValue(ActorRef<Value> replyTo) {
      this.replyTo = replyTo;
    }
  }

  public static class Value {
    public final int value;

    public Value(int value) {
      this.value = value;
    }
  }
}

If several actors share the same message protocol, it’s recommended to define those messages in a separate objectinterface for that protocol.

Here’s an example of a shared message protocol setup:

Scala

copysourceobject CounterProtocol {
  sealed trait Command

  final case class Increment(delta: Int, replyTo: ActorRef[OperationResult]) extends Command
  final case class Decrement(delta: Int, replyTo: ActorRef[OperationResult]) extends Command

  sealed trait OperationResult
  case object Confirmed extends OperationResult
  final case class Rejected(reason: String) extends OperationResult
}

Java

copysourceinterface CounterProtocol {
  interface Command {}

  public static class Increment implements Command {
    public final int delta;
    private final ActorRef<OperationResult> replyTo;

    public Increment(int delta, ActorRef<OperationResult> replyTo) {
      this.delta = delta;
      this.replyTo = replyTo;
    }
  }

  public static class Decrement implements Command {
    public final int delta;
    private final ActorRef<OperationResult> replyTo;

    public Decrement(int delta, ActorRef<OperationResult> replyTo) {
      this.delta = delta;
      this.replyTo = replyTo;
    }
  }

  interface OperationResult {}

  enum Confirmed implements OperationResult {
    INSTANCE
  }

  public static class Rejected implements OperationResult {
    public final String reason;

    public Rejected(String reason) {
      this.reason = reason;
    }
  }
}

Note that the response message hierarchy in this case could be completely avoided by using the API instead (see Generic Response Wrapper).

Public versus private messages

Often an actor has some messages that are only for its internal implementation and not part of the public message protocol, such as timer messages or wrapper messages for ask or messageAdapter.

Such messages should be declared private so they can’t be accessed and sent from the outside of the actor. Note that they must still extendimplement the public Command traitinterface.

Here is an example of using private for an internal message:

Scala

copysourceobject Counter {
  sealed trait Command
  case object Increment extends Command
  final case class GetValue(replyTo: ActorRef[Value]) extends Command
  final case class Value(n: Int)

  // Tick is private so can't be sent from the outside
  private case object Tick extends Command

  def apply(name: String, tickInterval: FiniteDuration): Behavior[Command] =
    Behaviors.setup { context =>
      Behaviors.withTimers { timers =>
        timers.startTimerWithFixedDelay(Tick, tickInterval)
        new Counter(name, context).counter(0)
      }
    }
}

class Counter private (name: String, context: ActorContext[Counter.Command]) {
  import Counter._

  private def counter(n: Int): Behavior[Command] =
    Behaviors.receiveMessage {
      case Increment =>
        val newValue = n + 1
        context.log.debug("[{}] Incremented counter to [{}]", name, newValue)
        counter(newValue)
      case Tick =>
        val newValue = n + 1
        context.log.debug("[{}] Incremented counter by background tick to [{}]", name, newValue)
        counter(newValue)
      case GetValue(replyTo) =>
        replyTo ! Value(n)
        Behaviors.same
    }
}

Java

copysourcepublic class Counter extends AbstractBehavior<Counter.Command> {

  public interface Command {}

  public enum Increment implements Command {
    INSTANCE
  }

  public static class GetValue implements Command {
    public final ActorRef<Value> replyTo;

    public GetValue(ActorRef<Value> replyTo) {
      this.replyTo = replyTo;
    }
  }

  public static class Value {
    public final int value;

    public Value(int value) {
      this.value = value;
    }
  }

  // Tick is private so can't be sent from the outside
  private enum Tick implements Command {
    INSTANCE
  }

  public static Behavior<Command> create(String name, Duration tickInterval) {
    return Behaviors.setup(
        context ->
            Behaviors.withTimers(
                timers -> {
                  timers.startTimerWithFixedDelay(Tick.INSTANCE, tickInterval);
                  return new Counter(name, context);
                }));
  }

  private final String name;
  private int count;

  private Counter(String name, ActorContext<Command> context) {
    super(context);
    this.name = name;
  }

  @Override
  public Receive<Command> createReceive() {
    return newReceiveBuilder()
        .onMessage(Increment.class, notUsed -> onIncrement())
        .onMessage(Tick.class, notUsed -> onTick())
        .onMessage(GetValue.class, this::onGetValue)
        .build();
  }


  private Behavior<Command> onIncrement() {
    count++;
    getContext().getLog().debug("[{}] Incremented counter to [{}]", name, count);
    return this;
  }

  private Behavior<Command> onTick() {
    count++;
    getContext()
        .getLog()
        .debug("[{}] Incremented counter by background tick to [{}]", name, count);
    return this;
  }

  private Behavior<Command> onGetValue(GetValue command) {
    command.replyTo.tell(new Value(count));
    return this;
  }

}

An alternative approach is using a type hierarchy and narrow to have a super-type for the public messages as a distinct type from the super-type of all actor messages. The former approach is recommended but it is good to know this alternative as it can be useful when using shared message protocol classes as described in Where to define messages.

Here’s an example of using a type hierarchy to separate public and private messages:

Scala

copysource// above example is preferred, but this is possible and not wrong
object Counter {
  // The type of all public and private messages the Counter actor handles
  sealed trait Message

  /** Counter's public message protocol type. */
  sealed trait Command extends Message
  case object Increment extends Command
  final case class GetValue(replyTo: ActorRef[Value]) extends Command
  final case class Value(n: Int)

  // The type of the Counter actor's internal messages.
  sealed trait PrivateCommand extends Message
  // Tick is a private command so can't be sent to an ActorRef[Command]
  case object Tick extends PrivateCommand

  def apply(name: String, tickInterval: FiniteDuration): Behavior[Command] = {
    Behaviors
      .setup[Counter.Message] { context =>
        Behaviors.withTimers { timers =>
          timers.startTimerWithFixedDelay(Tick, tickInterval)
          new Counter(name, context).counter(0)
        }
      }
      .narrow // note narrow here
  }
}

class Counter private (name: String, context: ActorContext[Counter.Message]) {
  import Counter._

  private def counter(n: Int): Behavior[Message] =
    Behaviors.receiveMessage {
      case Increment =>
        val newValue = n + 1
        context.log.debug("[{}] Incremented counter to [{}]", name, newValue)
        counter(newValue)
      case Tick =>
        val newValue = n + 1
        context.log.debug("[{}] Incremented counter by background tick to [{}]", name, newValue)
        counter(newValue)
      case GetValue(replyTo) =>
        replyTo ! Value(n)
        Behaviors.same
    }
}

Java

copysource// above example is preferred, but this is possible and not wrong
public class Counter extends AbstractBehavior<Counter.Message> {

  // The type of all public and private messages the Counter actor handles
  public interface Message {}

  /** Counter's public message protocol type. */
  public interface Command extends Message {}

  public enum Increment implements Command {
    INSTANCE
  }

  public static class GetValue implements Command {
    public final ActorRef<Value> replyTo;

    public GetValue(ActorRef<Value> replyTo) {
      this.replyTo = replyTo;
    }
  }

  public static class Value {
    public final int value;

    public Value(int value) {
      this.value = value;
    }
  }

  // The type of the Counter actor's internal messages.
  interface PrivateCommand extends Message {}

  // Tick is a private command so can't be sent to an ActorRef<Command>
  enum Tick implements PrivateCommand {
    INSTANCE
  }

  public static Behavior<Command> create(String name, Duration tickInterval) {
    return Behaviors.setup(
            (ActorContext<Message> context) ->
                Behaviors.withTimers(
                    timers -> {
                      timers.startTimerWithFixedDelay(Tick.INSTANCE, tickInterval);
                      return new Counter(name, context);
                    }))
        .narrow(); // note narrow here
  }

  private final String name;
  private int count;

  private Counter(String name, ActorContext<Message> context) {
    super(context);
    this.name = name;
  }

  @Override
  public Receive<Message> createReceive() {
    return newReceiveBuilder()
        .onMessage(Increment.class, notUsed -> onIncrement())
        .onMessage(Tick.class, notUsed -> onTick())
        .onMessage(GetValue.class, this::onGetValue)
        .build();
  }

  private Behavior<Message> onIncrement() {
    count++;
    getContext().getLog().debug("[{}] Incremented counter to [{}]", name, count);
    return this;
  }

  private Behavior<Message> onTick() {
    count++;
    getContext()
        .getLog()
        .debug("[{}] Incremented counter by background tick to [{}]", name, count);
    return this;
  }

  private Behavior<Message> onGetValue(GetValue command) {
    command.replyTo.tell(new Value(count));
    return this;
  }
}

private visibility can be defined for the PrivateCommand messages but it’s not strictly needed since they can’t be sent to an ActorRef[Command]ActorRef, which is the public message type of the actor.

[warn] ... Counter.scala:45:34: match may not be exhaustive.
[warn] It would fail on the following input: GetValue(_)
[warn]         Behaviors.receiveMessage {
[warn]                                  ^

Nesting setup

When an actor behavior needs more than one of setup, withTimers and withStash the methods can be nested to access the needed dependencies:

Scala

copysourcedef apply(): Behavior[Command] =
  Behaviors.setup[Command](context =>
    Behaviors.withStash(100)(stash =>
      Behaviors.withTimers { timers =>
        context.log.debug("Starting up")

        // behavior using context, stash and timers ...
      }))

Java

copysourcepublic static Behavior<Command> apply() {
  return Behaviors.setup(
      context ->
          Behaviors.withStash(
              100,
              stash ->
                  Behaviors.withTimers(
                      timers -> {
                        context.getLog().debug("Starting up");

                        // behavior using context, stash and timers ...
                      })));
}

The order of the nesting does not change the behavior as long as there is no additional logic in any other function than the innermost one. It can be nice to default to put setup outermost as that is the least likely block that will be removed if the actor logic changes.

Note that adding supervise to the mix is different as it will restart the behavior it wraps, but not the behavior around itself:

Scala

copysourcedef apply(): Behavior[Command] =
  Behaviors.setup { context =>
    // only run on initial actor start, not on crash-restart
    context.log.info("Starting")

    Behaviors
      .supervise(Behaviors.withStash[Command](100) { stash =>
        // every time the actor crashes and restarts a new stash is created (previous stash is lost)
        context.log.debug("Starting up with stash")
        // Behaviors.receiveMessage { ... }
      })
      .onFailure[RuntimeException](SupervisorStrategy.restart)
  }

Java

copysourcepublic static Behavior<Command> create() {
  return Behaviors.setup(
      context -> {
        // only run on initial actor start, not on crash-restart
        context.getLog().info("Starting");

        return Behaviors.<Command>supervise(
                Behaviors.withStash(
                    100,
                    stash -> {
                      // every time the actor crashes and restarts a new stash is created
                      // (previous stash is lost)
                      context.getLog().debug("Starting up with stash");
                      // Behaviors.receiveMessage { ... }
                    }))
            .onFailure(RuntimeException.class, SupervisorStrategy.restart());
      });
}

Additional naming conventions

Some naming conventions have already been mentioned in the context of other recommendations, but here is a list of additional conventions:

• replyTo is the typical name for the ActorRef[Reply]ActorRef<Reply> parameter in messages to which a reply or acknowledgement should be sent.

• Incoming messages to an actor are typically called commands, and therefore the super type of all messages that an actor can handle is typically sealed trait Commandinterface Command {}.

• Use past tense for the events persisted by an EventSourcedBehavior since those represent facts that have happened, for example Incremented.