A Beginner's Guide to Mule
A Beginner's Guide to Mule
In this post, we take a quick, introductory look at how to create applications using Mule and the ways to work with Anypoint Studio.
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Mule Application Building Blocks
Mule application building blocks are separated into categories in the Mule Palette:
Message Sources :
The first building block of most flows is a receiver that receives new messages and places them in the queue for processing.
Message sources are usually Anypoint Connectors.
Connectors provide connectivity to external resources, such as:
Databases, protocols, or APIs.
Standard protocols like HTTP, FTP, SMTP, AMQP.
Third-party APIs like Salesforce, Twitter, or MongoDB.
Anypoint Connectors :
Anypoint Platform has over 120 pre-built connectors:
30 bundled with Anypoint Studio.
Additional ones available in the Anypoint Exchange.
Connectors are accessible directly from Anypoint Studio or at https://www.mulesoft.com/exchange
There are 2 main types:
Endpoint-based connectors
Operation-based connectors
Endpoint-Based Connectors :
Are either inbound or outbound endpoints in a flow.
Inbound endpoints serve as a message source for a flow.
Outbound endpoints send information to external systems.
Operation-Based Connectors :
These connectors require the specification of an operation in order to perform.
This category includes most connectors not based on a standard communication protocol
Connector vs Endpoint :
A connector is a Mule-specific connection to an external resource of any kind.
An endpoint is a flow-level element that is configured to receive and/or send messages from and/or to external resources.
When you drag a connector from the Mule Palette, an endpoint is created.
Connectors and endpoints are global elements.
Creating Mule Applications With Anypoint Studio
Anypoint Studio is an Eclipse-based integration development environment that provides:
Two-way editing between graphical and XML views.
Visual debugging (EE).
A data transformation framework and language (EE).
One-click deployment of applications.
Templates for common integration patterns (EE).
Integration with Maven for continuous build processes.
Anatomy Of Flow: Visual
Anypoint Studio Anatomy:
Running an Application:
Anypoint Studio comes with an embedded Mule runtime to test applications without leaving it.
The console outputs application logs and information:
Testing Applications to Make Requests to an Endpoint:
Some options:
A browser.
A cURL command-line utility.
A browser extension like Postman (for Google Chrome).
Introducing Mule Flows and Message
Mule Flows
Mule applications accept and process messages through a series of message processors plugged together in the flow.
A typical flow has:
-
Message Source - Accepts a message from an external source, triggering the execution of the flow.
-
Message Processors - Transforms, filters, enrichs, and processes messages.
An application can consist of:
-
A single flow.
-
Multiple flows connected together to create more complex applications.
Anatomy of a Flow :
Mule Message
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