[[HowdoesCamelcomparetoSynapse-HowdoesCamelcomparetoSynapse]]
= How does Camel compare to Synapse?

We are Camel developers so take what you read here with a pinch of salt.

However we think the main differences are:

* the Camel community is way more active according to the
http://camel.465427.n5.nabble.com[nabble statistics] (Synapse is
inside the Apache Web Services bar) or by comparing
http://apache.markmail.org/search/?q=camel[Camel] and
http://apache.markmail.org/search/?q=synapse[Synapse] on markmail.
* Camel is the default routing engine included in
http://activemq.apache.org/[Apache ActiveMQ] for Message Orientated
middleware with EIP and http://servicemix.apache.org/[Apache ServiceMix]
the ESB based around OSGi and JBI at Apache - both of which are very popular too.
* Camel is designed from the ground up around
xref:{eip-vc}:eips:enterprise-integration-patterns.adoc[Enterprise Integration
Patterns] -- having an EIP pattern language implemented in
xref:ROOT:dsl.adoc[Java] and xref:ROOT:spring.adoc[Spring XML].
* Camel is designed to work with pretty much all kinds of
xref:ROOT:transport.adoc[transport] as well as working with any
xref:ROOT:data-format.adoc[Data Format]. When we first looked at Synapse it
was based around Axis 2 and WS-* though apparently thats no longer the
case.
