Nacos is a dynamic service discovery, configuration management, and service management platform designed to help build, deliver, and manage microservices. Developed by Alibaba, Nacos provides essential infrastructure for efficiently managing cloud-native applications across private, hybrid, and public cloud environments.
This document provides an introduction to the Nacos codebase, its architecture, core components, and key functionalities. For more detailed information about specific components, refer to the respective wiki pages for Architecture and Module Structure.
Nacos (Naming and Configuration Service) is an open-source platform that addresses critical infrastructure needs for microservices architecture:
Dynamic Service Discovery: Enables services to register themselves and discover other services via DNS or HTTP interfaces, including health checking to prevent routing to unhealthy instances.
Dynamic Configuration Management: Centralizes configuration management across environments, eliminating the need for redeployment when configurations change.
Dynamic DNS Service: Supports weighted routing, load balancing, and DNS-based service discovery within data centers.
Service and Metadata Management: Provides a dashboard for service metadata and configuration management.
Sources: README.md12-35
Nacos implements a client-server architecture that supports both configuration management and service discovery functions.
Client SDK:
Server Components:
Web Console UI:
Sources: pom.xml601-624 client/pom.xml28-34 config/pom.xml28-34 naming/pom.xml30-34 console/pom.xml26-29
The Nacos codebase is organized into the following key modules:
| Module | Description |
|---|---|
| nacos-api | Core APIs and interfaces including gRPC definitions |
| nacos-client | Client SDK for applications to interact with Nacos |
| nacos-common | Common utilities and helper classes |
| nacos-core | Core framework functionality and cluster management |
| nacos-config | Configuration service implementation |
| nacos-naming | Service discovery and naming service implementation |
| nacos-console | Web UI and administrative console |
| nacos-consistency | Data consistency mechanisms using JRaft |
| nacos-auth | Authentication and authorization |
| nacos-persistence | Data persistence and storage |
| nacos-plugin | Extensibility points and plugin architecture |
Sources: pom.xml601-624 client/pom.xml28-34 core/pom.xml30-34 config/pom.xml28-34 naming/pom.xml30-34 common/pom.xml29-34
The configuration service manages application configurations centrally, allowing for dynamic updates without service restarts.
Key features:
Sources: config/pom.xml28-34
The naming service enables dynamic service registration, discovery, and health checking.
Key features:
Sources: naming/pom.xml30-34
Nacos provides authentication and authorization capabilities:
Key security features:
Sources: plugin-default-impl/nacos-default-auth-plugin/src/main/java/com/alibaba/nacos/plugin/auth/impl/token/impl/JwtTokenManager.java48-161 auth/src/main/java/com/alibaba/nacos/auth/config/AuthErrorCode.java24-51
Nacos provides flexible data persistence options:
Key persistence features:
Sources: plugin/datasource/src/main/java/com/alibaba/nacos/plugin/datasource/mapper/AbstractMapper.java30-148 plugin/datasource/src/main/java/com/alibaba/nacos/plugin/datasource/mapper/Mapper.java30-93
Nacos employs a plugin architecture for extensibility:
The plugin architecture allows for customization of various aspects of Nacos:
Sources: pom.xml620-623
Nacos provides a web-based console for administration and management:
Console features:
Sources: console/pom.xml26-29 console-ui/src/config.js1-155 console/src/main/java/com/alibaba/nacos/console/config/ConsoleModuleStateBuilder.java28-44
Nacos supports different deployment models:
Standalone Mode:
Cluster Mode:
Multi-Cluster Mode:
Sources: README.md40-71 distribution/pom.xml30-34
Nacos provides a comprehensive solution for service discovery, configuration management, and service governance in cloud-native environments. Its flexible architecture, rich feature set, and extensibility make it a powerful platform for microservices infrastructure.
The codebase is well-structured into modular components, with clear separation of concerns between the client SDK, server-side services, and administrative interface. The plugin system allows for customization and extension of various aspects of the system.
For more detailed information on specific components, refer to the respective wiki pages linked throughout this document.