Akka vs RxJava: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will discuss the key differences between Akka and RxJava. Both Akka and RxJava are popular frameworks used in concurrent and asynchronous programming, but they have different approaches and features.

1. Concurrency Model: Akka follows the actor concurrency model, whereas RxJava follows the reactive streams model. In Akka, actors communicate asynchronously by sending messages to each other, while in RxJava, reactive streams allow for the flow of data and events between components in an asynchronous manner.

2. Error Handling: Akka provides supervisors that handle errors and exceptions at the actor level, allowing for fault-tolerant systems. On the other hand, RxJava handles errors using the observer pattern, where errors are propagated to the observer, who can handle them accordingly.

3. Backpressure Handling: Akka uses a mailbox-based approach for backpressure handling, where actors have a bounded mailbox and can control the rate of incoming messages. RxJava, on the other hand, relies on the reactive streams backpressure mechanism to handle the flow of data in case of overloaded subscribers.

4. Integration: Akka is designed to work well in distributed systems and provides built-in support for remote actors and distributed messaging. RxJava, on the other hand, is primarily focused on handling asynchronous and reactive programming within a single application or system.

5. Concurrency Model Granularity: Akka provides a fine-grained concurrency model with individual actors that can handle specific tasks or functionalities. In contrast, RxJava focuses on composing multiple streams and provides a more coarse-grained concurrency model.

6. Language Support: Akka is implemented in Scala but provides APIs for both Scala and Java. RxJava, on the other hand, is implemented in Java and provides APIs only for Java.

In summary, Akka and RxJava differ in their concurrency models, error handling mechanisms, backpressure handling approaches, integration capabilities, concurrency model granularity, and language support. Akka emphasizes distributed systems and fine-grained concurrency, while RxJava focuses on reactive programming within a single application or system using reactive streams.