junixsocket

junixsocket is a Java/JNI library that allows the use of Unix Domain Sockets (AF_UNIX sockets) from Java.

Why it's cool

• junixsocket is a small, modular library. Install only what you need.
• In contrast to other implementations, junixsocket extends the Java Sockets API (java.net.Socket, java.net.SocketAddress, etc.)
• Supports RMI over AF_UNIX.
• Database support (connect to a local database server via Unix sockets and JDBC).
  • MySQL (provides a custom AFUNIXDatabaseSocketFactory for Connector/J).
  • PostgreSQL and others (provides a generic AFUNIXSocketFactory with a variety of configuration options).
• Supports peer credentials.
• Supports sending and receiving file descriptors.
• Supports the abstract namespace on Linux.
• Supports HTTP over unix socket (using NanoHTTPD)
• Supports Java 7*, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.
• Comes with pre-built native libraries for several operating systems and platforms, including macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris and Windows; custom libraries can be built using Maven.
• Supports JPMS/Jigsaw modules.
• Apache 2.0 licensed.

* (basic support for Java 7 only, no RMI, no Demos).

Quick links

• Project website

• Github project

• Changelog

• Getting started

• Demo code (Java source)

  • Sockets (org.newsclub.net.unix.demo)
  • RMI over Unix Sockets (org.newsclub.net.unix.demo.rmi and org.newsclub.net.unix.demo.rmi.services)
  • MySQL over Unix Sockets (org.newsclub.net.mysql.demo)

• API Javadocs

  • The core (common) API
  • The RMI-over-Unix-Socket API

• Unix Domain Socket Reference

Feature Comparison Matrix

Licensing

junixsocket is released under the Apache 2.0 License.

Commercial support is available through Kohlschütter Search Intelligence.

Self-test

To verify that the software works as expected on your platform, you can run the selftest program, which is located in the "junixsocket-dist" distribution package:

java -jar junixsocket-selftest-VERSION-jar-with-dependencies.jar 

(with VERSION being the corresponding junixsocket version).