[docs] Polish reactive types section

master
Rossen Stoyanchev 7 years ago
parent 2096676b3f
commit 8d51d6769b
  1. 51
      src/docs/asciidoc/web-reactive.adoc

@ -38,33 +38,36 @@ server. The `WebTestClient` can be used for end-to-end integration tests too.
[[webflux-threading-model]]
=== Threading model
[[webflux-reactive-libraries]]
== Reactive Libraries
Reactor is a required dependency for the `spring-webflux` module and is used internally
for composing logic and for Reactive Streams support. An easy rule to remember is that
WebFlux APIs return `Flux` or `Mono` -- since that's what's used internally, and
leniently accept any Reactive Streams `Publisher` implementation.
The use of `Flux` and `Mono` helps to express cardinality -- e.g.
whether a single or multiple async values are expected. This is important for API design
but also essential in some cases, e.g. when encoding an HTTP message.
For annotated controllers, WebFlux adapts transparently to the reactive library in use
with proper translation of cardinality. This is done with the help of the
{api-spring-framework}/core/ReactiveAdapterRegistry.html[ReactiveAdapterRegistry] from
`spring-core` which provides pluggable support for reactive and async types. The registry
has built-in support for RxJava and `CompletableFuture` but others can be registered.
For functional endpoints, the `WebClient`, and other functional APIs, the general rule
of thumb for WebFlux APIs applies:
* `Flux` or `Mono` as return values -- use them to compose logic or pass to any Reactive
Streams library (both are `Publisher` implementations).
* Reactive Streams `Publisher` for input -- if a `Publisher` from another reactive library
is provided it can only be treated as a stream with unknown semantics (0..N). If the
semantics are known -- e.g. `io.reactivex.Single`, you can use `Mono.from(Publisher)` and
pass that in instead of the raw `Publisher`.
`spring-webflux` depends on `reactor-core` and uses it internally to compose asynchronous
logic and to provide Reactive Streams support. Generally WebFlux APIs return `Flux` or
`Mono` -- since that's what's used internally, and leniently accept any Reactive Streams
`Publisher` implementation as input. The use of `Flux` vs `Mono` is important because it
helps to express cardinality -- e.g. whether a single or multiple async values are
expected, and that can be essential for making decisions, for example when encoding or
decoding HTTP messages.
For annotated controllers, WebFlux transparently adapts to the reactive library chosen by
the application. This is done with the help of the
{api-spring-framework}/core/ReactiveAdapterRegistry.html[ReactiveAdapterRegistry] which
provides pluggable support for reactive library and other asynchronous types. The registry
has built-in support for RxJava and `CompletableFuture`, but others can be registered too.
For functional APIs such as <<webflux-fn>>, the `WebClient`, and others, the general rules
for WebFlux APIs apply -- `Flux` and `Mono` as return values, and Reactive Streams
`Publisher` as input. When a `Publisher`, whether custom or from another reactive library,
is provided, it can only be treated as a stream with unknown semantics (0..N). If however
the semantics are known, you can wrap it with `Flux` or `Mono.from(Publisher)` instead
of passing the raw `Publisher`.
[NOTE]
====

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