# Creating a LogStash plugin with Java instead of Ruby

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/creating-a-logstash-plugin-with-java-instead-of-ruby/38080>\
**Category:** Logstash\
**Created:** [December 28, 2015, 10:52pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/creating-a-logstash-plugin-with-java-instead-of-ruby/38080 "2015-12-28T22:52:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![adaviding](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/adaviding/32/6876_2.png) [@adaviding](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/adaviding)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 10:52pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/creating-a-logstash-plugin-with-java-instead-of-ruby/38080/1 "2015-12-28T22:52:12Z")

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I want to create a LogStash plugin that utilizes code written in Java and I need some help. Has anybody done this before?

I am not comfortable with Ruby. Unfortunately, I can see that LogStash plugins must be written in Ruby, and that I must create a plugin as a Ruby Gem [ref](https://github.com/elastic/logstash#developing-plugins).

I have noticed that LogStash actually uses JRuby [ref](https://github.com/elastic/logstash#developing), so it should be possible to write Ruby code that simply calls an attached jar. I have seen at least 3 different methods for attaching jars onto a Ruby Gem [ref](https://github.com/mkristian/jar-dependencies/tree/master/examples), but I don't know which one to use.

Does anybody have a suggestion? Or example code?

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**Author:** ![adaviding](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/adaviding/32/6876_2.png) [@adaviding](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/adaviding)\
**Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 8:51pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/creating-a-logstash-plugin-with-java-instead-of-ruby/38080/2 "2016-04-13T20:51:47Z")

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It looks like here is an example of integrating java code into a LogStash plugin using JRuby.

> **[joekiller/logstash-kafka](https://github.com/joekiller/logstash-kafka)**
>
> logstash-kafka - Kafka plugin for Logstash

  

> **[joekiller/jruby-kafka](https://github.com/joekiller/jruby-kafka)**
>
> Contribute to jruby-kafka development by creating an account on GitHub.

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**Author:** ![Joe\_Lawson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/joe_lawson/32/3390_2.png) [@Joe\_Lawson](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Joe_Lawson)\
**Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/creating-a-logstash-plugin-with-java-instead-of-ruby/38080/3 "2016-04-14T00:08:09Z")

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Check out logstash-input-kafka for a current plugin using Java classes.  
Because Logstash uses jruby it is running on the JVM and you can use  
whatever jars you want.

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 5:02am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/creating-a-logstash-plugin-with-java-instead-of-ruby/38080/4 "2017-07-06T05:02:24Z")

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