Akka in Action, Second Edition

“"Akka in Action, Second Edition" is an essential resource for anyone looking to dive into the world of actor systems in Scala. This new edition provides useful information about Akka's current state, highlighting the shift to type-safe messaging, an important development in the Akka ecosystem.One of the standout features of this book is its commitment to keeping readers up-to-date with the latest advancements in Akka. The first edition had outdated code examples due to the switch from Classic Akka to Type-safe messaging, as acknowledged by the author. In the second edition, readers can expect a thorough exploration of this new paradigm, which is crucial for building robust and scalable applications with Akka.What sets this book apart is not only its content but also the support it offers to its readers. A commendable feature is having an author who answers questions in a discussion forum.The book makes Akka accessible to everyone, whether they are beginners or experienced developers. It not only covers the theoretical foundations but also delves into practical application, which is invaluable for real-world projects. The inclusion of patterns like message adapter showcases the author's commitment to imparting practical knowledge that can be immediately applied in professional settings.In summary, "Akka in Action, Second Edition" is a highly recommended resource for anyone interested in mastering Akka and building resilient, concurrent, and distributed systems in Scala. With its focus on type-safe messaging, up-to-date content, and the author's active engagement with readers, this book is an indispensable companion on the journey to becoming an Akka expert. This book will be helpful in your journey with Akka, whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer.”

The majority of the pages are filled with boilerplate code, inline comments, and text explaining those snippets. The book doesn’t teach much about how Akka works; it mostly focuses on demonstrating APIs and re-explaining Scala types in English.Comparing actor-based code to ‘regular’ code doesn’t seem fair because it resembles a strawman argument. This comparison doesn’t add value to this specific book and fails to delve into any details about concurrency, even though actors are primarily a concurrency model.

Sure, the book is about Akka but I recommend it for any developer wanting to understand the Actor programming model. The author drives the point home with practical scenarios that keep you engaged. Great reference for experienced programmer and incredibly useful for novices.