# ecf
**Repository Path**: mirrors_eclipse/ecf
## Basic Information
- **Project Name**: ecf
- **Description**: ECF project repository
- **Primary Language**: Unknown
- **License**: Not specified
- **Default Branch**: master
- **Homepage**: None
- **GVP Project**: No
## Statistics
- **Stars**: 0
- **Forks**: 0
- **Created**: 2020-08-22
- **Last Updated**: 2026-04-25
## Categories & Tags
**Categories**: Uncategorized
**Tags**: None
## README
## Eclipse Communication Framework
ECF is a set of modular frameworks to support inter-process communication
Current version: [3.16.8](https://download.eclipse.org/rt/ecf/3.16.8/)
Release Date: 4/15/2026
## ECF Github Organization
The [ECF Organization](https://github.com/ECF) has a number of discovery and remote services providers for ECF's implementation of [OSGi Remote Services](https://docs.osgi.org/specification/osgi.cmpn/8.0.0/service.remoteservices.html) and [OSGi Remote Service Admin](https://docs.osgi.org/specification/osgi.cmpn/8.0.0/service.remoteserviceadmin.html) specifications.
## NEW (8/19/2025) ECF enhances tooling support for Model Context Protocol (MCP)
As part of ECF 3.16.5, there is a new bundle/jar in ECF that adds unix domain sockets (uds) transport support for MCP. It's available in [ECF 3.16.5 p2 repo](https://download.eclipse.org/rt/ecf/3.16.5/).
## NEW (4/28/2025) Bndtools Template for Python.Java Remote Services Development
There has been a new project template added to the [ECF Bndtools Workspace Template](https://github.com/ECF/bndtools.workspace) that uses the [ECF Python.Java Distribution Provider](https://github.com/ECF/Py4j-RemoteServicesProvider). This distribution provider is based upon py4j, which supports high performance remote procedure call between python and java processes.
To try it out after installing Bndtools 7.1 and the ECF tools add ons
1. Create a new Bndtools Workspace using the [ECF Bndtools Workspace Template](https://github.com/ECF/bndtools.workspace)
2. Create a new Bnd OSGi project
3. Open the projectName.hellopython.javahost.bndrun file in the project directory
4. Choose 'Resolve' and then 'Update'
5. Select Debug OSGi to start the example application (Java)
Running Python Example Program
1. Install [iPOPO v 3.1.0](https://ipopo.readthedocs.io) in your Python (3.9 or greater) local environment
2. In a command shell or IDE, navigate to the project directory and run the run_python_example.py script
```
python run_python_example.py
```
The examples will output progress to their respective consoles as the remote services are made exported,
discovered, and imported by the java process or the python process.
Most of the code that produces output is available in the example project. For java: src/main/java/.../hello/*.java
and python: python-src/samples/rsa
### Install into Bndtools for Remote Services development
NEW: Feature for Remote Services tooling that enhances [Bndtools](https://bndtools.org/) 7.1 or higher. Theses tools use bndtools project, workspace, service templates, and OSGi services wizards for simplifying the creation of OSGi remote services. Also present are Eclipse view for debugging remote service endpoint description discovery and remote service export/import. The feature requires that Bndtools 7.1+ be [installed](https://bndtools.org/installation.html) into a recent version of Eclipse. Also see the Install into Bndtools 7.1 via Oomph section below for automated install.
Name: ECF 3.15.7
Update Site URL: [https://download.eclipse.org/rt/ecf/latest/site.p2](https://download.eclipse.org/rt/ecf/latest/site.p2)
[Javadocs](https://download.eclipse.org/rt/ecf/latest/javadoc/)
### Install into [Bndtools 7.1](https://bndtools.org/) via Oomph
There are now [Oomph](https://projects.eclipse.org/projects/tools.oomph) Setups that will automatically install and configure Eclipse, Bndtools 7.1 and ECF 3.15.7 [see here](https://github.com/bndtools/bndtools.p2.repo/tree/master/setup/ecf)
### Features for Bndtools-based [OSGi Remote Services](https://docs.osgi.org/specification/osgi.cmpn/7.0.0/service.remoteservices.html) Development
#### Workspace, Project, and Bndrun Templates
Bndtools Workspace Template for Remote Services Development here: [https://github.com/ECF/bndtools.workspace](https://github.com/ECF/bndtools.workspace). This workspace template contains multiple project templates for creating Remote Service API, Impl, and Consumer projects via the New->Bnd OSGi Project wizard:
#### Wizards for creating api, impl, consumer Remote Services projects via a single wizard
#### Eclipse Views for Endpoint Discovery and [Remote Service Admin Manager](https://docs.osgi.org/specification/osgi.cmpn/8.0.0/service.remoteserviceadmin.html)
#### Wizard and Template-Created Bndrun files, to immediately run/debug wizard-generated remote services
### Download/Install into [Apache Karaf 4.4+](https://karaf.apache.org/)
For Install into Karaf runtime, [here is a top-level Karaf Features file](https://download.eclipse.org/rt/ecf/latest/karaf-features.xml)
## Key ECF APIs
### OSGi Remote Services
ECF provides a fully-compliant and multi-provider implementation of the [OSGi Remote Services](https://docs.osgi.org/specification/osgi.cmpn/8.0.0/service.remoteservices.html) and [Remote Services Admin/RSA](https://docs.osgi.org/specification/osgi.cmpn/8.0.0/service.remoteserviceadmin.html). A number of providers are available in this repo, but there are also many providers available at the [ECF github organization](https://github.com/ECF).
ECF is the OSGi R8 RS/RSA implementation in the [OSGi Test Compatibilty Kit (TCK)](https://github.com/osgi/osgi)
### Eclipse Install/Update File Transfer
ECF filetransfer is used by the [Eclipse IDE](https://github.com/eclipse-platform)
## ECF Github Organization
ECF has an [organization with a number of other repos](https://github.com/ECF) containing Remote Services distribution and discovery providers (e.g. grpc, etcd discovery, hazelcast, JMS, JGroups, xmlrpc-based distribution providers, examples, others). Most of these repos provide distribution or discovery providers that depend upon the core remote services/RSA implementation provided by this repo.
## Wiki
See the [ECF Wiki](https://wiki.eclipse.org/Eclipse_Communication_Framework_Project) for examples, tutorials, Karaf install documentation, other documentation.
To contribute or find out what's going on right now, please join the [ecf-dev mailing list](https://accounts.eclipse.org/mailing-list/ecf-dev) or contact project lead Scott Lewis at github email: scottslewis at gmail.com
## Services, Training, and Support
For Remote Services training, support, or custom OSGi or Eclipse development please contact scottslewis at gmail.com via email or post on the [ecf-dev mailing list](https://accounts.eclipse.org/mailing-list/ecf-dev)
### Contributing to ECF
Contributions are always welcome! For 20 years ECF has been innovating via community contributions.
See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md)