feat: Implement Actor Model pattern

* feat: Implement Actor Model pattern #3232

* feat: Implement Actor Model pattern #3232

* feat: update Actor Model implementation with multi-actor logic #3251

* feat: update Actor Model implementation with multi-actor logic and loose coupling  #3251

* test: add unit test for actor model #3251

* test: add test for App.java to increase coverage

* docs: add complete README for Actor Model pattern also implemented changes #3251
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---
title: "Actor Model Pattern in Java: Building Concurrent Systems with Elegance"
shortTitle: Actor Model
description: "Explore the Actor Model pattern in Java with real-world examples and practical implementation. Learn how to build scalable, message-driven systems using actors, messages, and asynchronous communication."
category: Concurrency
language: en
tag:
- Concurrency
- Messaging
- Isolation
- Asynchronous
- Distributed Systems
- Actor Model
---
## Also Known As
- Message-passing concurrency
- Actor-based concurrency
---
## Intent of Actor Model Pattern
The Actor Model pattern enables the construction of highly concurrent, distributed, and fault-tolerant systems by using isolated components (actors) that interact exclusively through asynchronous message passing.
---
## Detailed Explanation of Actor Model Pattern with Real-World Examples
### 📦 Real-world Example
Imagine a customer service system:
- Each **customer support agent** is an **actor**.
- Customers **send questions (messages)** to agents.
- Each agent handles one request at a time and can **respond asynchronously** without interfering with other agents.
---
### 🧠 In Plain Words
> "Actors are like independent workers that never share memory and only communicate through messages."
---
### 📖 Wikipedia Says
> [Actor model](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actor_model) is a mathematical model of concurrent computation that treats "actors" as the universal primitives of concurrent computation.
---
### 🧹 Architecture Diagram
![UML Class Diagram](./etc/Actor_Model_UML_Class_Diagram.png)
---
## Programmatic Example of Actor Model Pattern in Java
### Actor.java
```java
public abstract class Actor implements Runnable {
@Setter @Getter private String actorId;
private final BlockingQueue<Message> mailbox = new LinkedBlockingQueue<>();
private volatile boolean active = true;
public void send(Message message) {
mailbox.add(message);
}
public void stop() {
active = false;
}
@Override
public void run() {
}
protected abstract void onReceive(Message message);
}
```
### Message.java
```java
@AllArgsConstructor
@Getter
@Setter
public class Message {
private final String content;
private final String senderId;
}
```
### ActorSystem.java
```java
public class ActorSystem {
public void startActor(Actor actor) {
String actorId = "actor-" + idCounter.incrementAndGet(); // Generate a new and unique ID
actor.setActorId(actorId); // assign the actor it's ID
actorRegister.put(actorId, actor); // Register and save the actor with it's ID
executor.submit(actor); // Run the actor in a thread
}
public Actor getActorById(String actorId) {
return actorRegister.get(actorId); // Find by Id
}
public void shutdown() {
executor.shutdownNow(); // Stop all threads
}
}
```
### App.java
```java
public class App {
public static void main(String[] args) {
ActorSystem system = new ActorSystem();
Actor srijan = new ExampleActor(system);
Actor ansh = new ExampleActor2(system);
system.startActor(srijan);
system.startActor(ansh);
ansh.send(new Message("Hello ansh", srijan.getActorId()));
srijan.send(new Message("Hello srijan!", ansh.getActorId()));
Thread.sleep(1000); // Give time for messages to process
srijan.stop(); // Stop the actor gracefully
ansh.stop();
system.shutdown(); // Stop the actor system
}
}
```
---
## When to Use the Actor Model Pattern in Java
- When building **concurrent or distributed systems**
- When you want **no shared mutable state**
- When you need **asynchronous, message-driven communication**
- When components should be **isolated and loosely coupled**
---
## Actor Model Pattern Java Tutorials
- [Baeldung Akka with Java](https://www.baeldung.com/java-akka)
- [Vaughn Vernon Reactive Messaging Patterns](https://vaughnvernon.co/?p=1143)
---
## Real-World Applications of Actor Model Pattern in Java
- [Akka Framework](https://akka.io/)
- [Erlang and Elixir concurrency](https://www.erlang.org/)
- [Microsoft Orleans](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/orleans/)
- JVM-based game engines and simulators
---
## Benefits and Trade-offs of Actor Model Pattern
### ✅ Benefits
- High concurrency support
- Easy scaling across threads or machines
- Fault isolation and recovery
- Message ordering within actors
### ⚠️ Trade-offs
- Harder to debug due to asynchronous behavior
- Slight performance overhead due to message queues
- More complex to design than simple method calls
---
## Related Java Design Patterns
- [Command Pattern](../command)
- [Mediator Pattern](../mediator)
- [Event-Driven Architecture](../event-driven-architecture)
- [Observer Pattern](../observer)
---
## References and Credits
- *Programming Erlang*, Joe Armstrong
- *Reactive Design Patterns*, Roland Kuhn
- *The Actor Model in 10 Minutes*, [InfoQ Article](https://www.infoq.com/articles/actor-model/)
- [Akka Documentation](https://doc.akka.io/docs/akka/current/index.html)