Main Tutorials

Java RMI Hello World example

RMI stands for Remote Method Invocation and it is the object-oriented equivalent of RPC (Remote Procedure Calls). RMI was designed to make the interaction between applications using the object-oriented model and run on different machines seem like that of stand-alone programs.

The code below will give you the basis to Java RMI with a very simple example of a Server-Client communication model.

1. The Remote Interface

The first thing we have to design is the Remote Interface that both Server and Client will implement. The Interface must always be public and extend Remote. All methods described in the Remote interface must list RemoteException in their throws clause.

Our RMIInterface has only one method; it receives a String parameter and returns String.

RMIInterface.java

package com.mkyong.rmiinterface;

import java.rmi.Remote;
import java.rmi.RemoteException;

public interface RMIInterface extends Remote {

    public String helloTo(String name) throws RemoteException;

}

2. The Server

Our Server extends UnicastRemoteObject and implements the Interface we made before. In the main method we bind the server on localhost with the name “MyServer”.

ServerOperation.java

package com.mkyong.rmiserver;

import java.rmi.Naming;
import java.rmi.RemoteException;
import java.rmi.server.UnicastRemoteObject;

import com.mkyong.rmiinterface.RMIInterface;

public class ServerOperation extends UnicastRemoteObject implements RMIInterface{

    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;

    protected ServerOperation() throws RemoteException {

        super();

    }

    @Override
    public String helloTo(String name) throws RemoteException{

        System.err.println(name + " is trying to contact!");
        return "Server says hello to " + name;

    }

    public static void main(String[] args){

        try {

            Naming.rebind("//localhost/MyServer", new ServerOperation());            
            System.err.println("Server ready");

        } catch (Exception e) {

            System.err.println("Server exception: " + e.toString());
            e.printStackTrace();

        }

    }

}

3. The Client

Finally, we create the Client. To “find” the Server, the Client uses an RMIInterface Object that “looks” for a reference for the remote object associated with the name we pass as parameter. With that RMIInterface object we can now talk to the Server and receive responses.

File: ClientOperation.java

package com.mkyong.rmiclient;

import java.net.MalformedURLException;
import java.rmi.Naming;
import java.rmi.NotBoundException;
import java.rmi.RemoteException;

import javax.swing.JOptionPane;

import com.mkyong.rmiinterface.RMIInterface;

public class ClientOperation {

	private static RMIInterface look_up;

	public static void main(String[] args) 
		throws MalformedURLException, RemoteException, NotBoundException {
		
		look_up = (RMIInterface) Naming.lookup("//localhost/MyServer");
		String txt = JOptionPane.showInputDialog("What is your name?");
			
		String response = look_up.helloTo(txt);
		JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, response);

	}

}

4. How to run it

4.1 Create the three java files with your favorite IDE or Download the code below. Navigate to your source folder as shown below.

java-rmi-hello-9a

4.2 First thing we need to do is compile our sources. Run compileEverything.bat if you downloaded the code below or open a command window at your directory and run:

Terminal

javac src/com/mkyong/rmiinterface/RMIInterface.java src/com/mkyong/rmiserver/ServerOperation.java src/com/mkyong/rmiclient/ClientOperation.java

4.3 Confirm that your sources were compiled by accessing their respective directories:

java-rmi-hello-9b

4.4 Next we need to start the rmiregistry. Again either run the startServer.bat or open a command window and run:

Terminal

cd src
start rmiregistry
java com.mkyong.rmiserver.ServerOperation
java-rmi-hello-9c

4.5 If RmiRegistry started successfully, there will be another window that looks like this:

java-rmi-hello-9d

4.6 Now we are ready to run our Client:

Open a new command prompt window (or run the runClient.bat from the downloaded files) and run this:

Terminal

cd src
java com.mkyong.rmiclient.ClientOperation

The ClientOperation runs and prompts us for input:

java-rmi-hello-9e

We type a name in the input field (ex. “Marilena”) and click “OK”

4.7 On Server side we can see this:

java-rmi-hello-9f

4.8 And on the Client side this:

java-rmi-hello-9g

4.9 The client closes after the exchange is over, while the server stays on and we can communicate again if we run the client file again. Indeed, we run the client again and:

java-rmi-hello-9h

Server :

java-rmi-hello-9i

Client :

java-rmi-hello-9j

Download Source Code

Download it – SimpleRmiExample.zip (4 KB)

References

  1. RMI – Indiana University
  2. Remote – Java API
  3. UnicastRemoteObject – Java API

About Author

author image
Marilena Panagiotidou is a senior at University of the Aegean, in the department of Information and Communication Systems Engineering. She is passionate about programming in a wide range of languages. You can contact her at [email protected] or through her LinkedIn.

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RMI New Bee
6 years ago

Any Solution for these please.

java com.mkyong.rmiserver.ServerOperation
Server exception: java.rmi.ConnectException: Connection refused to host: localho
st; nested exception is:
java.net.ConnectException: Connection refused: connect
java.rmi.ConnectException: Connection refused to host: localhost; nested excepti
on is:
java.net.ConnectException: Connection refused: connect
at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPEndpoint.newSocket(TCPEndpoint.java:619)
at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPChannel.createConnection(TCPChannel.java:216
)
at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPChannel.newConnection(TCPChannel.java:202)
at sun.rmi.server.UnicastRef.newCall(UnicastRef.java:342)
at sun.rmi.registry.RegistryImpl_Stub.rebind(Unknown Source)
at java.rmi.Naming.rebind(Naming.java:177)
at com.mkyong.rmiserver.ServerOperation.main(ServerOperation.java:24)
Caused by: java.net.ConnectException: Connection refused: connect
at java.net.DualStackPlainSocketImpl.connect0(Native Method)
at java.net.DualStackPlainSocketImpl.socketConnect(DualStackPlainSocketI
mpl.java:79)
at java.net.AbstractPlainSocketImpl.doConnect(AbstractPlainSocketImpl.ja
va:345)
at java.net.AbstractPlainSocketImpl.connectToAddress(AbstractPlainSocket
Impl.java:206)
at java.net.AbstractPlainSocketImpl.connect(AbstractPlainSocketImpl.java
:188)
at java.net.PlainSocketImpl.connect(PlainSocketImpl.java:172)
at java.net.SocksSocketImpl.connect(SocksSocketImpl.java:392)
at java.net.Socket.connect(Socket.java:589)
at java.net.Socket.connect(Socket.java:538)
at java.net.Socket.(Socket.java:434)
at java.net.Socket.(Socket.java:211)
at sun.rmi.transport.proxy.RMIDirectSocketFactory.createSocket(RMIDirect
SocketFactory.java:40)
at sun.rmi.transport.proxy.RMIMasterSocketFactory.createSocket(RMIMaster
SocketFactory.java:148)
at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPEndpoint.newSocket(TCPEndpoint.j

areyes
4 years ago
Reply to  RMI New Bee

Just start the rmiregistry without port

Sadhan
4 years ago
Reply to  areyes

still the same!

gaurav
6 years ago
Reply to  RMI New Bee

I am also getting same error, can anybody please help us.

Adnan Raza
6 years ago

java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: com.mkyong.rmiinterface.RMIInterface

Filip
5 years ago
Reply to  Adnan Raza

On command prompt window type: cd /path-to-directory-with-compiled-classes , this directory contains all *.class files in your project. When youre in this directory try java className.

Niyizigihe
11 months ago

Am seeing this error:
Unmarshalling return
No security manager: RMI class loader disabled

Mark
1 year ago

if those are having problems with server running (with regards to rmiregistry).
you can add this line in the main.

      Registry reg = LocateRegistry.createRegistry(1099);

instead of doing step 4.4

RUBEH
5 years ago

thank,
But suppose that i want to send a message via a textfield to the client from the server by pressing a button,
how can i do it

donhk
6 years ago

for those who are having issues with java.lang.ClassNotFoundException
make sure you execute rmiregisrty from the top directory of the compiles sources
/build/classes/, /out/producction/ or whatever it is called on your system like if it were a classpath

Al Ret
3 years ago
Reply to  donhk

Sorry, wrong person

Srijit Paul
6 years ago

Useful, simple and clean. Thanks

marc
6 years ago

I have a wierd behavior. One prompt execute the server and it write server ready. Then I start a new prompt for the client. But when I send the name, the gui window close but nothing happen on the server side. So anyone have an idea where it come from.
Thank you

Nalini De Souza
7 years ago

Exception in thread “main” java.lang.NullPointerException
at ClientOperation.main(ClientOperation.java:19)
What to do to solve this error

Andrey Stepanov
7 years ago

Did you start the server?
After the server is started in its own window (one – for the server, another – for the client) you must read in the server window: “Server ready”

Reva
1 year ago

java

package com.mkyong.rmiclient;
Can uh plss tell do we have to make a new project for this package and then import it to current one

Al Ret
3 years ago

Beware! this is not going to work the way it is described. It took me 1 hour to realise I needed to start the RMIRegistry from the same path as the top level folder of my compiled classes. Then I came to read this and realised it! why don’t you put those instructions in the main exercise so that people don’t waste time and think they are doing something wrong, when the main issue is in the main instructions?

sachi dil
4 years ago

Thank You

Paul Massardo
4 years ago

Awesome Tutorial!!! Very straight forward. Thank you very much.

Francisco
4 years ago

the file rmiregistry don’t exist in the SimpleRmiExample.zip

Jean
5 years ago

Hi can this be converted to soap web service and CORBA application

Andrey Stepanov
7 years ago

Thank you for the great introduction to the subject.

Just to clarify.
“… the Remote Interface that both Server and Client will implement”
It looks like the ClientOperation DOES NOT implement the RMIInterface

xx xxxxbbb
6 years ago

I have the same problem