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Tentackle

Tentackle is a Java framework for building modular, multi-tier, enterprise-grade applications — from the database up to a JavaFX desktop client — with a single, location-transparent programming model. It is Open Source (LGPL 2.1), available from Maven Central, and requires Java 25 or later (older LTS lines are maintained on the java21, java17, java11 and java8 branches).

Why Tentackle?

Five things set Tentackle apart from other Java frameworks:

  1. Persistent Domain Objects (PDOs), not an ORM. A PDO unifies persistence and domain logic behind one interface via runtime-injected proxies — emulated multiple inheritance that keeps the two concerns fully independent. There are no lifecycle states and no LazyInitializationException, ever. See PDO and PDOs vs. Traditional ORMs.

  2. Write the domain logic once, run it on any tier. The same artifact works whether the database is local, behind a middle-tier server, or reached through a cascade of nested servers — transparently, over TRIP, a compact binary protocol that replaces RMI/JOS with pluggable, SD-WAN-friendly transports (TLS, compression, pre-shared-key encryption, QUIC). The topology is pure configuration: a connection URL decides where each node sits. See the Multi-Tier Cascade.

  3. Correctness is the default, not an add-on. Optimistic (serial) locking is always on, validation is declarative and travels with the object, aggregates are first-class citizens enforcing DDD boundaries and reverting atomically via snapshots, and shared objects can be made immutable. Whatever goes wrong fails loudly and early instead of corrupting data quietly. See Correctness First.

  4. One model, generated everywhere — at build time. The model lives in the PDO interface and drives generation of the persistence layer, DDL and database migrations through the Wurbelizer. Service discovery is resolved at compile time by the ServiceFinder SPI — no runtime classpath scanning, fast startup, and it works in both modular and classpath mode.

  5. True JPMS, self-contained apps. Every module is a real JPMS module; applications ship as self-contained jlink/jpackage images with built-in client auto-update and rich JavaFX desktop clients.

For a sense of where Tentackle excels, read Why Tentackle Fits Technical and Scientific Applications.

Where to go next

  • 🚀 Quickstart — generate, build, and run a complete multi-tier application in minutes.
  • 📦 BOM — add Tentackle to an existing project with consistent module versions.
  • 🔎 Index — look up a concept and jump straight to it.
  • 🧾 Java site docs — as a reference.