akka-hosting-actor-patterns

Akka.Hosting Actor Patterns

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Building entity actors that represent domain objects (users, orders, invoices, etc.)
• Need actors that work in both unit tests (no clustering) and production (cluster sharding)
• Setting up scheduled tasks with akka-reminders
• Registering actors with Akka.Hosting extension methods
• Creating reusable actor configuration patterns

Core Principles

1. Execution Mode Abstraction - Same actor code runs locally (tests) or clustered (production)
2. GenericChildPerEntityParent for Local - Mimics sharding semantics without cluster overhead
3. Message Extractors for Routing - Reuse Akka.Cluster.Sharding's IMessageExtractor interface
4. Akka.Hosting Extension Methods - Fluent configuration that composes well
5. ITimeProvider for Testability - Use ActorSystem.Scheduler instead of DateTime.Now

Execution Modes

Define an enum to control actor behavior:

/// <summary>
/// Determines how Akka.NET should be configured
/// </summary>
public enum AkkaExecutionMode
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Pure local actor system - no remoting, no clustering.
    /// Use GenericChildPerEntityParent instead of ShardRegion.
    /// Ideal for unit tests and simple scenarios.
    /// </summary>
    LocalTest,

    /// <summary>
    /// Full clustering with ShardRegion.
    /// Use for integration testing and production.
    /// </summary>
    Clustered
}

GenericChildPerEntityParent

A lightweight parent actor that routes messages to child entities, mimicking cluster sharding semantics without requiring a cluster:

using Akka.Actor;
using Akka.Cluster.Sharding;

/// <summary>
/// A generic "child per entity" parent actor.
/// </summary>
/// <remarks>
/// Reuses Akka.Cluster.Sharding's IMessageExtractor for consistent routing.
/// Ideal for unit tests where clustering overhead is unnecessary.
/// </remarks>
public sealed class GenericChildPerEntityParent : ReceiveActor
{
    public static Props CreateProps(
        IMessageExtractor extractor,
        Func<string, Props> propsFactory)
    {
        return Props.Create(() =>
            new GenericChildPerEntityParent(extractor, propsFactory));
    }

    private readonly IMessageExtractor _extractor;
    private readonly Func<string, Props> _propsFactory;

    public GenericChildPerEntityParent(
        IMessageExtractor extractor,
        Func<string, Props> propsFactory)
    {
        _extractor = extractor;
        _propsFactory = propsFactory;

        ReceiveAny(message =>
        {
            var entityId = _extractor.EntityId(message);
            if (entityId is null) return;

            // Get existing child or create new one
            Context.Child(entityId)
                .GetOrElse(() => Context.ActorOf(_propsFactory(entityId), entityId))
                .Forward(_extractor.EntityMessage(message));
        });
    }
}

Message Extractors

Create extractors that implement IMessageExtractor from Akka.Cluster.Sharding:

using Akka.Cluster.Sharding;

/// <summary>
/// Routes messages to entity actors based on a strongly-typed ID.
/// </summary>
public sealed class OrderMessageExtractor : HashCodeMessageExtractor
{
    public const int DefaultShardCount = 40;

    public OrderMessageExtractor(int maxNumberOfShards = DefaultShardCount)
        : base(maxNumberOfShards)
    {
    }

    public override string? EntityId(object message)
    {
        return message switch
        {
            IWithOrderId msg => msg.OrderId.Value.ToString(),
            _ => null
        };
    }
}

// Define an interface for messages that target a specific entity
public interface IWithOrderId
{
    OrderId OrderId { get; }
}

// Use strongly-typed IDs
public readonly record struct OrderId(Guid Value)
{
    public static OrderId New() => new(Guid.NewGuid());
    public override string ToString() => Value.ToString();
}

Akka.Hosting Extension Methods

Create extension methods that abstract the execution mode:

using Akka.Cluster.Hosting;
using Akka.Cluster.Sharding;
using Akka.Hosting;

public static class OrderActorHostingExtensions
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Adds OrderActor with support for both local and clustered modes.
    /// </summary>
    public static AkkaConfigurationBuilder WithOrderActor(
        this AkkaConfigurationBuilder builder,
        AkkaExecutionMode executionMode = AkkaExecutionMode.Clustered,
        string? clusterRole = null)
    {
        if (executionMode == AkkaExecutionMode.LocalTest)
        {
            // Non-clustered mode: Use GenericChildPerEntityParent
            builder.WithActors((system, registry, resolver) =>
            {
                var parent = system.ActorOf(
                    GenericChildPerEntityParent.CreateProps(
                        new OrderMessageExtractor(),
                        entityId => resolver.Props<OrderActor>(entityId)),
                    "orders");

                registry.Register<OrderActor>(parent);
            });
        }
        else
        {
            // Clustered mode: Use ShardRegion
            builder.WithShardRegion<OrderActor>(
                "orders",
                (system, registry, resolver) =>
                    entityId => resolver.Props<OrderActor>(entityId),
                new OrderMessageExtractor(),
                new ShardOptions
                {
                    StateStoreMode = StateStoreMode.DData,
                    Role = clusterRole
                });
        }

        return builder;
    }
}

Composing Multiple Actors

Create a convenience method that registers all domain actors:

public static class DomainActorHostingExtensions
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Adds all order domain actors with sharding support.
    /// </summary>
    public static AkkaConfigurationBuilder WithOrderDomainActors(
        this AkkaConfigurationBuilder builder,
        AkkaExecutionMode executionMode = AkkaExecutionMode.Clustered,
        string? clusterRole = null)
    {
        return builder
            .WithOrderActor(executionMode, clusterRole)
            .WithPaymentActor(executionMode, clusterRole)
            .WithShipmentActor(executionMode, clusterRole)
            .WithNotificationActor(); // Singleton, no sharding needed
    }
}

Using ITimeProvider for Scheduling

Register the ActorSystem's Scheduler as an ITimeProvider for testable time-based logic:

public static class SharedAkkaHostingExtensions
{
    public static IServiceCollection AddAkkaWithTimeProvider(
        this IServiceCollection services,
        Action<AkkaConfigurationBuilder, IServiceProvider> configure)
    {
        // Register ITimeProvider using the ActorSystem's Scheduler
        services.AddSingleton<ITimeProvider>(sp =>
            sp.GetRequiredService<ActorSystem>().Scheduler);

        return services.ConfigureAkka((builder, sp) =>
        {
            configure(builder, sp);
        });
    }
}

// In your actor, inject ITimeProvider
public class SubscriptionActor : ReceiveActor
{
    private readonly ITimeProvider _timeProvider;

    public SubscriptionActor(ITimeProvider timeProvider)
    {
        _timeProvider = timeProvider;

        // Use _timeProvider.GetUtcNow() instead of DateTime.UtcNow
        // This allows tests to control time
    }
}

Akka.Reminders Integration

For durable scheduled tasks that survive restarts, use akka-reminders:

using Akka.Reminders;
using Akka.Reminders.Sql;
using Akka.Reminders.Sql.Configuration;
using Akka.Reminders.Storage;

public static class ReminderHostingExtensions
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Configures akka-reminders with PostgreSQL storage.
    /// </summary>
    public static AkkaConfigurationBuilder WithPostgresReminders(
        this AkkaConfigurationBuilder builder,
        string connectionString,
        string schemaName = "reminders",
        string tableName = "scheduled_reminders",
        bool autoInitialize = true)
    {
        return builder.WithLocalReminders(reminders => reminders
            .WithResolver(sys => new GenericChildPerEntityResolver(sys))
            .WithStorage(system =>
            {
                var settings = SqlReminderStorageSettings.CreatePostgreSql(
                    connectionString,
                    schemaName,
                    tableName,
                    autoInitialize);
                return new SqlReminderStorage(settings, system);
            })
            .WithSettings(new ReminderSettings
            {
                MaxSlippage = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30),
                MaxDeliveryAttempts = 3,
                RetryBackoffBase = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10)
            }));
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Configures akka-reminders with in-memory storage for testing.
    /// </summary>
    public static AkkaConfigurationBuilder WithInMemoryReminders(
        this AkkaConfigurationBuilder builder)
    {
        return builder.WithLocalReminders(reminders => reminders
            .WithResolver(sys => new GenericChildPerEntityResolver(sys))
            .WithStorage(system => new InMemoryReminderStorage())
            .WithSettings(new ReminderSettings
            {
                MaxSlippage = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1),
                MaxDeliveryAttempts = 3,
                RetryBackoffBase = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(100)
            }));
    }
}

Custom Reminder Resolver for Child-Per-Entity

Route reminder callbacks to GenericChildPerEntityParent actors:

using Akka.Actor;
using Akka.Hosting;
using Akka.Reminders;

/// <summary>
/// Resolves reminder targets to GenericChildPerEntityParent actors.
/// </summary>
public sealed class GenericChildPerEntityResolver : IReminderActorResolver
{
    private readonly ActorSystem _system;

    public GenericChildPerEntityResolver(ActorSystem system)
    {
        _system = system;
    }

    public IActorRef ResolveActorRef(ReminderEntry entry)
    {
        var registry = ActorRegistry.For(_system);

        return entry.Key switch
        {
            var k when k.StartsWith("order-") =>
                registry.Get<OrderActor>(),
            var k when k.StartsWith("subscription-") =>
                registry.Get<SubscriptionActor>(),
            _ => throw new InvalidOperationException(
                $"Unknown reminder key format: {entry.Key}")
        };
    }
}

Singleton Actors (Not Sharded)

For actors that should only have one instance:

public static AkkaConfigurationBuilder WithEmailSenderActor(
    this AkkaConfigurationBuilder builder)
{
    return builder.WithActors((system, registry, resolver) =>
    {
        var actor = system.ActorOf(
            resolver.Props<EmailSenderActor>(),
            "email-sender");
        registry.Register<EmailSenderActor>(actor);
    });
}

Marker Types for Registry

When you need to reference actors that are registered as parents:

/// <summary>
/// Marker type for ActorRegistry to retrieve the order manager
/// (GenericChildPerEntityParent for OrderActors).
/// </summary>
public sealed class OrderManagerActor;

// Usage in extension method
registry.Register<OrderManagerActor>(parent);

// Usage in controller/service
public class OrderService
{
    private readonly IActorRef _orderManager;

    public OrderService(IRequiredActor<OrderManagerActor> orderManager)
    {
        _orderManager = orderManager.ActorRef;
    }

    public async Task<OrderResponse> CreateOrder(CreateOrderCommand cmd)
    {
        return await _orderManager.Ask<OrderResponse>(cmd);
    }
}

DI Scope Management in Actors

Actors don't have automatic DI scopes. Unlike ASP.NET controllers (where each HTTP request creates a scope), actors are long-lived. If you need scoped services (like DbContext), inject IServiceProvider and create scopes manually.

Pattern: Scope Per Message

public sealed class OrderProcessingActor : ReceiveActor
{
    private readonly IServiceProvider _serviceProvider;
    private readonly IActorRef _notificationActor;

    public OrderProcessingActor(
        IServiceProvider serviceProvider,
        IRequiredActor<NotificationActor> notificationActor)
    {
        _serviceProvider = serviceProvider;
        _notificationActor = notificationActor.ActorRef;

        ReceiveAsync<ProcessOrder>(HandleProcessOrder);
    }

    private async Task HandleProcessOrder(ProcessOrder msg)
    {
        // Create scope for this message - disposed after processing
        using var scope = _serviceProvider.CreateScope();

        // Resolve scoped services within the scope
        var orderRepository = scope.ServiceProvider.GetRequiredService<IOrderRepository>();
        var paymentService = scope.ServiceProvider.GetRequiredService<IPaymentService>();
        var emailComposer = scope.ServiceProvider.GetRequiredService<IOrderEmailComposer>();

        // Do work with scoped services
        var order = await orderRepository.GetByIdAsync(msg.OrderId);
        var payment = await paymentService.ProcessAsync(order);

        // DbContext changes committed when scope disposes
    }
}

Why This Pattern

Benefit	Explanation
Fresh DbContext per message	No stale entity tracking between messages
Proper disposal	Database connections released after each message
Isolation	One message's errors don't corrupt another's state
Testable	Can inject mock IServiceProvider in tests

Singleton Services - Direct Injection

For stateless, thread-safe services, inject directly (no scope needed):

public sealed class NotificationActor : ReceiveActor
{
    private readonly IEmailLinkGenerator _linkGenerator;  // Singleton - OK!
    private readonly IMjmlTemplateRenderer _renderer;     // Singleton - OK!

    public NotificationActor(
        IEmailLinkGenerator linkGenerator,
        IMjmlTemplateRenderer renderer)
    {
        _linkGenerator = linkGenerator;
        _renderer = renderer;

        Receive<SendWelcomeEmail>(Handle);
    }
}

Common Mistake: Injecting Scoped Services Directly

// BAD: Scoped service injected into long-lived actor
public sealed class BadActor : ReceiveActor
{
    private readonly IOrderRepository _repo;  // Scoped! DbContext lives forever!

    public BadActor(IOrderRepository repo)  // Captured at actor creation
    {
        _repo = repo;  // This DbContext will become stale
    }
}

// GOOD: Inject IServiceProvider, create scope per message
public sealed class GoodActor : ReceiveActor
{
    private readonly IServiceProvider _sp;

    public GoodActor(IServiceProvider sp)
    {
        _sp = sp;
        ReceiveAsync<ProcessOrder>(async msg =>
        {
            using var scope = _sp.CreateScope();
            var repo = scope.ServiceProvider.GetRequiredService<IOrderRepository>();
            // Fresh DbContext for this message
        });
    }
}

For more on DI lifetimes and scope management, see microsoft-extensions/dependency-injection skill.

---

Cluster Sharding Configuration

RememberEntities: Almost Always False

RememberEntities controls whether the shard region remembers and automatically restarts all entities that were ever created. This should almost always be false.

builder.WithShardRegion<OrderActor>(
    "orders",
    (system, registry, resolver) => entityId => resolver.Props<OrderActor>(entityId),
    new OrderMessageExtractor(),
    new ShardOptions
    {
        StateStoreMode = StateStoreMode.DData,
        RememberEntities = false,  // DEFAULT - almost always correct
        Role = clusterRole
    });

When RememberEntities = true causes problems:

Problem	Explanation
Unbounded memory growth	Every entity ever created gets remembered and restarted forever
Slow cluster startup	Cluster must restart thousands/millions of entities on boot
Stale entity resurrection	Expired sessions, sent emails, old orders all get restarted
No passivation	Idle entities consume memory indefinitely (passivation is disabled)

When to Use Each Setting

Entity Type	RememberEntities	Reason
UserSessionActor	false	Sessions expire, created on login
DraftActor	false	Drafts are sent/discarded, ephemeral
EmailSenderActor	false	Fire-and-forget operations
OrderActor	false	Orders complete, new ones created constantly
ShoppingCartActor	false	Carts expire, abandoned carts common
TenantActor	maybe true	Fixed set of tenants, always needed
AccountActor	maybe true	Bounded set of accounts, long-lived

Rule of thumb: Use RememberEntities = true only for:

1. Bounded entity sets (known upper limit)
2. Long-lived domain entities that should always be available
3. Entities where the cost of remembering < cost of lazy creation

Marker Types with WithShardRegion

When using WithShardRegion<T>, the generic parameter T serves as a marker type for the ActorRegistry. Use a dedicated marker type (not the actor class itself) for consistent registry access:

/// <summary>
/// Marker type for ActorRegistry. Use this to retrieve the OrderActor shard region.
/// </summary>
public sealed class OrderActorRegion;

// Registration - use marker type as generic parameter
builder.WithShardRegion<OrderActorRegion>(
    "orders",
    (system, registry, resolver) => entityId => resolver.Props<OrderActor>(entityId),
    new OrderMessageExtractor(),
    new ShardOptions { StateStoreMode = StateStoreMode.DData });

// Retrieval - same marker type
var orderRegion = ActorRegistry.Get<OrderActorRegion>();
orderRegion.Tell(new CreateOrder(orderId, amount));

Why marker types?

• WithShardRegion<T> auto-registers the shard region under type T
• Using the actor class directly can cause confusion (registry returns region, not actor)
• Marker types make the intent explicit and work consistently in both LocalTest and Clustered modes

Avoiding Redundant Registry Calls

WithShardRegion<T> automatically registers the shard region in the ActorRegistry. Don't call registry.Register<T>() again:

// BAD - redundant registration
builder.WithShardRegion<OrderActorRegion>("orders", ...)
    .WithActors((system, registry, resolver) =>
    {
        var region = registry.Get<OrderActorRegion>();
        registry.Register<OrderActorRegion>(region);  // UNNECESSARY!
    });

// GOOD - WithShardRegion already registers
builder.WithShardRegion<OrderActorRegion>("orders", ...);
// That's it - OrderActorRegion is now in the registry

---

Best Practices

1. Always support both execution modes - Makes testing easy without code changes
2. Use strongly-typed IDs - OrderId instead of string or Guid
3. Interface-based message routing - IWithOrderId for type-safe extraction
4. Register parent, not children - For child-per-entity, register the parent in ActorRegistry
5. Marker types for clarity - Use empty marker classes for registry lookups
6. Composition over inheritance - Chain extension methods, don't create deep hierarchies
7. ITimeProvider for scheduling - Never use DateTime.Now directly in actors
8. akka-reminders for durability - Use for scheduled tasks that must survive restarts
9. RememberEntities = false by default - Only set to true for bounded, long-lived entities