docs/user-manual/modules/ROOT/pages/configuring-route-startup-ordering-and-autostartup.adoc

[[Configuringroutestartuporderingandautostartup-Configuringroutesstartuporderingandautostartup]]
= Configuring routes startup ordering and autostartup

*Since Camel 2.1*

Camel now supports configuring two aspects:

* auto startup
* order of starting routes

[[Configuringroutestartuporderingandautostartup-ConfiguringwhetherCamelshouldbeautostartedornotinXMLDSL]]
== Configuring whether Camel should be auto started or not in XML DSL

The old option `shouldStartContext` have been removed and replaced with
this new `autoStartup` option instead. What it allows is to configure
Camel to *not* auto start when Spring starts.

For example the route below we have configured `autoStartup=false` to
prevent Camel starting when Spring starts.

[source,xml]
----
    <camelContext id="myCamel" xmlns="http://camel.apache.org/schema/spring" autoStartup="false">
        <route>
            <from uri="direct:start"/>
            <to uri="mock:result"/>
        </route>
    </camelContext>
----

So how do you start Camel then?

The `autoStartup` option on the `<camelContext>` is only used once, so you
can manually start Camel later by invoking its `start` method as shown
below:

[source,java]
----
    ApplicationContext ac = ...
    SpringCamelContext camel = (SpringCamelContext) ac.getBean("myCamel");

    // now start Camel manually
    camel.start();
----

[[Configuringroutestartuporderingandautostartup-ConfiguringwhetherarouteshouldbestartedornotinXMLDSL]]
== Configuring whether a route should be started or not in XML DSL

You can use the `autoStartup` option to configure if a given route
should be started when Camel starts. By default a route is auto started.

You can disable or enable it as follows.

In XML DSL you define it as follows:

[source,xml]
----
<route autoStartup="false">
   <from uri="activemq:queue:special"/>
   <to uri="file://backup"/>
</route>
----

And to explicit state it should be started:

[source,xml]
----
<route autoStartup="true">
   <from uri="activemq:queue:special"/>
   <to uri="file://backup"/>
</route>
----

[[Configuringroutestartuporderingandautostartup-ConfiguringwhetherarouteshouldbestartedornotinJavaDSL]]
== Configuring whether a route should be started or not in Java DSL

You can use the `autoStartup` option to configure if a given route
should be started when Camel starts. By default a route is auto started.

You can disable or enable it as follows:

[source,java]
----
from("activemq:queue:special").noAutoStartup().to("file://backup");
----

[[Configuringroutestartuporderingandautostartup-ConfiguringwhetherarouteshouldbestartedornotusingabooleanorStringinJavaDSL]]
== Configuring whether a route should be started or not, using a boolean or String, in Java DSL

*Since Camel 2.9*

To startup based on a boolean, String or
xref:components::properties-component.adoc[Property], do one of the following:

[source,java]
----
boolean startupRoute = true;
from("activemq:queue:special").autoStartup(startupRoute).to("file://backup");
...
String startupRoute = "true";
from("activemq:queue:special").autoStartup(startupRoute).to("file://backup");
...
from("activemq:queue:special").autoStartup("{{startupRouteProperty}}").to("file://backup");
----

[[Configuringroutestartuporderingandautostartup-Configuringstartingorderforroutes]]
== Configuring starting order for routes

You can also configure the order in which routes are started. Previously
Camel started the routes in a non deterministic order. Now you have fine
grained control in which order the routes should be started. There is a
new attribute `startupOrder` which is an `Integer` that states the order.
Camel then sorts the routes before starting time. The routes with the
lowest `startupOrder` are started first and the ones with the highest are
started last.

IMPORTANT: All `startupOrder` defined must be unique among all routes in your
xref:camelcontext.adoc[CamelContext]. Otherwise if there are clashes in
`startupOrder` numbers among routes, the routes will fail to start up throwing
`org.apache.camel.FailedToStartRouteException`.

Normally you should also use numbers that are lower than 1000, as routes without
an explicit `startupOrder` definition will have a number starting from 1000
auto assigned. So view numbers from 1000 upwards as reserved internally
for Camel itself.

However, you can also utilise much higher numbers than 1000
(to avoid collisions with those auto assigned numbers) to specify the last routes
to start up. Normally the usage of numbers starting from 10000 should be safe
for the purpose.

In terms of the `startupOrder` there are no strict rules that it must
start from 1 and increment by 1. You can for example use: 100, 200, 205,
89 if you like. Only rule of thumb is that the numbers must be unique.

[[Configuringroutestartuporderingandautostartup-Whydoyouwanttocontrolthestartingorder]]
== Why do you want to control the starting order?

It can help in cases where routes are inter dependent on each other and
also help with graceful shutting down Camel as Camel can stop the routes
in the correct order as well.

[NOTE]
====
**Stopping routes**

*Camel 2.2:* Camel will stop the routes in the *same* order that they
were started.

*Camel 2.3:* Camel will stop the routes in the *reverse* order that they
were started.
====

[[Configuringroutestartuporderingandautostartup-Examples]]
== Examples

Let's try a couple of examples.

[[Configuringroutestartuporderingandautostartup-Simpleexample]]
=== Simple example

[source,java]
----
    from("seda:foo").startupOrder(1).to("mock:result");
    from("direct:start").startupOrder(2).to("seda:foo");
----

And the same example with XML DSL:

[source,xml]
----
    <route startupOrder="1">
        <from uri="seda:foo"/>
        <to uri="mock:result"/>
    </route>

    <route startupOrder="2">
        <from uri="direct:start"/>
        <to uri="seda:foo"/>
    </route>
----

In this example we have two routes in which we have started that the
`direct:start` route should be started *after* the `seda:foo` route.
As `direct:start` is consider the input and we want that `seda:foo`
route to be up and running beforehand.

You can also mix and match routes with and without `startupOrder`
define.

[[Configuringroutestartuporderingandautostartup-RouteswithstartupOrdermixedwithrouteswithout]]
=== Routes with startupOrder mixed with routes without

[source,java]
----
    from("seda:foo").startupOrder(1).to("mock:result");
    from("direct:start").startupOrder(2).to("seda:foo");

    from("direct:bar").to("seda:bar");
----

And the same example with XML DSL:

[source,xml]
----
    <route startupOrder="1">
        <from uri="seda:foo"/>
        <to uri="mock:result"/>
    </route>

    <route startupOrder="2">
        <from uri="direct:start"/>
        <to uri="seda:foo"/>
    </route>

    <route>
        <from uri="direct:bar"/>
        <to uri="seda:bar"/>
    </route>
----

In the route above we have *not* define a `startupOrder` on the last
route `direct:bar` in which Camel will auto assign a number for it, in
which this case will be 1000. So therefore the route will be started
last.

So you can use this to your advantage to only assign a `startupOrder` on
the routes which really needs it.

[[Configuringroutestartuporderingandautostartup-Routestostartuplast]]
=== Routes to start up last

[source,java]
----
    // use auto assigned startup ordering
    from("direct:start").to("seda:foo");

    // should start first
    from("seda:foo").startupOrder(1).to("mock:result");

    // should start last after the default routes
    from("direct:bar").startupOrder(12345).to("seda:bar");

    // use auto assigned startup ordering
    from("seda:bar").to("mock:other");
----

In the example above the order of startups of routes should be:

1. `seda://foo`
2. `direct://start`
3. `seda://bar`
4. `direct://bar`

[[Configuringroutestartuporderingandautostartup-Shutdown]]
== Shutdown

*Camel 2.2:* Camel will shutdown the routes in the *same* order that
they were started.

*Camel 2.3:* Camel will shutdown the routes in the *reverse* order that
they were started.

See also xref:graceful-shutdown.adoc[Graceful Shutdown].