Pragmatica Aether

Distributed Java runtime with predictive autoscaling. The third option between monolith and microservices. Write business logic, deploy distributed.

The Problem

Monoliths are simple but don't scale. Microservices scale but bring operational complexity — Kubernetes, service mesh, distributed tracing, configuration management.

Teams spend more time managing infrastructure than building features. The complexity that was supposed to help becomes a burden.

There should be another way.

The Solution

Aether is a distributed Java runtime that handles the hard parts for you. Write your business logic as "slices", deploy them, and let Aether manage distribution, scaling, and resilience.

No Kubernetes. No service mesh. No YAML sprawl. Just Java code that runs distributed when you need it to.

Built-in observability, predictive autoscaling, and zero-downtime deployments — out of the box.

Key Features

Predictive Autoscaling

ML-based scaling that learns from traffic patterns. Scale before the load hits, not after.

2-hour sliding window analysis
Pattern recognition for traffic spikes
Preemptive scaling decisions
Decision tree fallback for reliability

Full Observability

Understand your distributed system without bolting on additional tools.

Per-method invocation metrics
Prometheus endpoint built-in
Configurable alerts and thresholds
Real-time dashboard

Rolling Updates

Deploy new versions with zero downtime and full control.

Two-stage deploy/route model
Weighted traffic shifting
Health-based promotion
One-click rollback

Production Validated

Aether is tested with a comprehensive E2E suite covering real production scenarios.

80 end-to-end tests across 12 test classes
Cluster formation and leader election
Node failures and recovery
Network partitions and split-brain
Rolling updates and traffic shifting
Chaos engineering scenarios

Simple Setup

Get a cluster running in minutes with aether-up.

aether-up — generates Docker Compose or Kubernetes manifests
aether-cli — REPL and batch operations
30+ Management API endpoints — full programmatic control
Aether Forge — local development with visual dashboard

Aether Forge

Local development environment with visual dashboard for testing distributed behavior.

5-node simulated cluster
Real-time metrics visualization
Load generation with configurable rates
Chaos injection (kill nodes, inject latency)
Test resilience before production

Use Cases

Growing monoliths — Scale without rewriting
Microservices fatigue — Simplify operations
New distributed systems — Start right
Variable load patterns — Predictive scaling handles spikes
Zero-downtime requirements — Rolling updates built-in

Licensing

Business Source License 1.1

Aether uses BSL 1.1, transitioning to Apache 2.0 after 4 years. This means:

Free for internal use — Use Aether in your organization at no cost
Free for non-production — Evaluate, develop, test freely
Commercial license — Required only for offering Aether as a service
Eventually open source — Full Apache 2.0 after 4 years

Why BSL?

BSL protects our ability to sustain development while keeping Aether accessible. Large cloud providers can't wrap and sell it, but you can use it freely for your applications.

It's the same model used by MariaDB, CockroachDB, and other successful projects.

Pilot Program

We're looking for pilot partners to deploy Aether in production.

What You Get

Direct access to the development team
Priority support during pilot
Influence on roadmap
Favorable commercial terms

Ideal Pilots

Java backend with scaling challenges
Microservices complexity pain
Team willing to try new approaches
Production deployment target

Apply for Pilot

Resources

GitHub

Source code, documentation, and examples.

View on GitHub

Current Version

Pragmatica Aether 0.7.1 — Production-validated, 80 E2E tests, predictive autoscaling.

Questions?

Let's discuss if Aether is right for your use case.