components/camel-ref/src/main/docs/ref-component.adoc

= Ref Component
:doctitle: Ref
:shortname: ref
:artifactid: camel-ref
:description: Route messages to an endpoint looked up dynamically by name in the Camel Registry.
:since: 1.2
:supportlevel: Stable
:tabs-sync-option:
:component-header: Both producer and consumer are supported
:core:
//Manually maintained attributes
:camel-spring-boot-name: ref

*Since Camel {since}*

*{component-header}*

The Ref component is used for lookup of existing endpoints bound in
the Registry.

== URI format

----
ref:someName[?options]
----

Where *someName* is the name of an endpoint in the
Registry (usually, but not always, the Spring
registry). If you are using the Spring registry, `someName` would be the
bean ID of an endpoint in the Spring registry.

// component options: START
include::partial$component-configure-options.adoc[]
include::partial$component-endpoint-options.adoc[]
include::partial$component-endpoint-headers.adoc[]
// component options: END

== Usage

=== Runtime lookup

This component can be used when you need dynamic discovery of endpoints
in the Registry where you can compute the URI at
runtime. Then you can look up the endpoint using the following code:

[source,java]
----
// lookup the endpoint
String myEndpointRef = "bigspenderOrder";
Endpoint endpoint = context.getEndpoint("ref:" + myEndpointRef);

Producer producer = endpoint.createProducer();
Exchange exchange = producer.createExchange();
exchange.getIn().setBody(payloadToSend);
// send the exchange
producer.process(exchange);
----

With Spring XML, you could have a list of endpoints defined in the
Registry such as:

[source,java]
----
<camelContext id="camel" xmlns="http://activemq.apache.org/camel/schema/spring">
    <endpoint id="normalOrder" uri="activemq:order.slow"/>
    <endpoint id="bigspenderOrder" uri="activemq:order.high"/>
</camelContext>
----

== Example

Bind endpoints to the Camel registry:
[source,java]
----
context.getRegistry().bind("endpoint1", context.getEndpoint("direct:start"));
context.getRegistry().bind("endpoint2", context.getEndpoint("log:end"));
----

Use the `ref` URI scheme to refer to endpoint's bond to the Camel registry:
[source,java]
----
public class MyRefRoutes extends RouteBuilder {
    @Override
    public void configure() {
        // direct:start -> log:end
        from("ref:endpoint1")
            .to("ref:endpoint2");
    }
}
----


include::spring-boot:partial$starter.adoc[]