Scarab is an open source communcations library implementing protocols, formats, and interfaces for writing distributed applications, with an emphasis on low-end and lightweight implementations. Users can combine Scarab module implementations to build a messaging system to fit their needs, scaling from very simple messaging or data transfer all the way up to where CORBA can take over. Scarab implementations include support for such areas as distributed objects, remote procedure calls, XML messages, TCP transport, and HTTP transport.

There are implementations of Scarab in Java, Python, Perl, and C.

Scarab was initially developed to provide the Casbah Project with an easy to implement solution for distributing Casbah services among several scripting and compiled languages without requiring predefined object interfaces.

The current version of the reference implementations of and document sets for Scarab is 0.00d19. Source is available as gzipped tar file: Scarab-0.00d19.tar.gz

Future work:

• specifications for transporting arbitrary XML messages
• specifications for using HTTP and other transports
• compression, encryption, authentication, and transport negotiation to support them
• support for new protocols (SOAP, XML-RPC)
• support for interface definitions (IDL, WIDL, XSchema)
• implementation guides
• firewall proxy

Where can you help? Anywhere you want or can! Adopt the Perl or Python reference implementations or the web site. Write new implementations for different languages. Create applications that use Scarab. Create simpler examples. Write tutorials. Evangelize. Add support for new transports (HTTP, multiplexing, encryption, compression). Add support for new serialization formats (XML-RPC, SOAP, WDDX, IIOP). Submit bug reports, comments, and suggestions!