Introduction

The Native OSGi project is a collaborative effort to write, test, and implement the Java OSGi specifications in C and C++ with a focus on interoperability between C, C++ and Java.

• Doxygen documentation for a C++ API draft

Rationale for a native OSGi API

• C and C++ as programming languages are here to stay (whether you like it or not).
• Traditional application domains (for example in medical imaging, embedded devices, sensor networks, etc.) often use native languages and possibly rely on a large native (legacy) code-base.
• Native developers designing scalable, modular platforms for a dynamically reconfigurable (embedded) environment need a light-weight yet powerful module system (just like Java developers).

Benefits of a native OSGi framework

• Builds upon a mature API design for a dynamic environment, supporting native developers in creating modular platforms.
• Allows the creation of a hybrid Java and C/C++ architecture (via remote services) as an alternative to JNI.
• Maximizes the performance per watt ratio for (embedded) devices.
• Eases future software migrations of native components to a Java OSGi-based system.