This topic introduces the Cava plugin and its features.
Cava plugins are supported only for Dedicated applications.
Introduction to Cava
Cava is an efficient, object-oriented programming language developed by the OpenSearch engine team. It is based on LLVM, features a syntax similar to Java, and delivers performance comparable to C++. Cava also supports Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation and includes various security checks to ensure program robustness.
You can use Cava and the Cava library from OpenSearch to customize sort plugins. Compared to the expressions that OpenSearch supports, Cava-based sort plugins provide the following advantages:
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Stronger customization capabilities: Cava provides richer syntax features than expressions, such as for loops, function definitions, and class definitions. This lets you implement custom business logic.
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Easier maintenance: Sort plugins implemented in Cava are more readable and easier to maintain than expressions.
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Easier adoption: Cava's syntax is similar to Java, which lowers the learning curve for developers who are familiar with Java.
The following topics describe the supported Cava syntax and the Cava Lib that OpenSearch provides.