Developing Distributed Applications with C# and ZeroMQ

1h 1mIntermediate2017-08-09

Authors

Paul Blasucci

Enthusiast of multiparadigm and polygot engineering

Course details

Distributed applications run on multiple computers on the same network at once—which means they often have to run on multiple operating systems and integrate with the cloud. But you don't need a lot of middleware or advanced configuration to build them. Today, it's possible to build robust software with lightweight tools. Enter ZeroMQ, a flexible, open-source messaging stack. ZeroMQ can be run on Windows, OS X, and Linux, and can be implemented with C, C++, C#, Java, Python, and more. Learn how to use ZeroMQ to simplify development of distributed .NET applications. Follow along with this project-focused course, as instructor Paul Blasucci shows how to build a simple group messaging app—with one-way and two-way communication channels and direct messaging—using ZeroMQ and C#.

Learning objectives
Building a single-file application
Two-way messaging
Heartbeating to detect disconnects
Broadcasting messages using publish/subscribe
Combining one-way and two-way messaging channels
Troubleshooting your app
Designing and evolving protocols

Skills covered

ZeroMQVisual StudioTips, Tricks, & TechniquesSoftware Development ToolsProgramming LanguagesOpen SourceMicrosoftSoftware Development

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Welcome
02 - What you should know
03 - How to use the exercise files

1. Building a Chat System

04 - Overview of ZeroMQ
05 - Primary concepts
06 - Warm-up exercise - Single-file application

2. Requests and Replies

07 - Sync vs. async two-way messaging
08 - Heartbeating keeping track of peers
09 - Exercise 1a - Setting up the server
10 - Exercise 1b - Setting up the client

3. Broadcasting Messages

11 - Topically filtered one-way messaging
12 - Notifications sharing information
13 - Exercise 2a - Publishing arrival departure notices
14 - Exercise 2b - Subscribing to arrival departure notices

4. Combining Channels

15 - Proxies
16 - Polling
17 - Slipping one-way messages into a two-way channel
18 - Exercise 3a - Extending the server to relay group messages
19 - Exercise 3b - Extending the client to send group messages

5. Sidebar - Troubleshooting

20 - Basic checklist for when things aren't working
21 - Extra exercise - Implementing a socket monitor

6. Extending Protocols

22 - Solving problems with messages versus adding new channels
23 - Exercise 4 - Extending the client and server to support direct messages

Conclusion

24 - Going further