Is there a non Java alternative to OSGi?

Question

Is there an OSGi like framework that is based on C/C++? I have plenty of legacy code in C/C++ that would be too expensive to be ported to Java.

Answer 1

Here is a list of OSGi-like C/C++ frameworks I know of (and which are still active):

• Apache Celix [Language: C, License: Apache License 2.0]
• SOF [Language: C++, License: Unknown]
• CTK [Language: C++, License: Apache License 2.0]
• nOSGi [Language: C++, License: GPLv3]
• Poco OSP [Language: C++, License: Commercial]
• CppMicroServices [Language: C++, License: Apache License 2.0]

This blog post gives a high-level overview about these frameworks.

Answer 2

Have a look at Apache Celix, which gives you an OSGi-like module framework for C, combined with C/Java interoperability through OSGi's Remote Services mechanism.

Answer 3

Since OSGi is nowadays a complete ecosystem with many standards, substandards and so on - the strict answer is: No, because it relies on to many things specific to Java (bytecode, classloading, garbage collection, ...) which are not part of C/C++ and which cannot be even simulated - especially for legacy code.

But if you tell us what parts of OSGi you are interested in and especially what parts you consider not relevant for your code, answers may come up.

Meanwhile you can browse some other similar questions on this site or use the search:

• C++ modularization framework (like OSGi) ?
• https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3588954/c-plug-in-framework
• Portable C++ Component Design