# Preface What is Apache ActiveMQ Artemis? - Apache ActiveMQ Artemis is an open source project to build a multi-protocol, embeddable, very high performance, clustered, asynchronous messaging system. - Apache ActiveMQ Artemis is an example of Message Oriented Middleware (MoM). For a description of MoMs and other messaging concepts please see the [Messaging Concepts](messaging-concepts.md). Why use Apache ActiveMQ Artemis? Here are just a few of the reasons: - 100% open source software. Apache ActiveMQ Artemis is licensed using the Apache Software License v 2.0 to minimise barriers to adoption. - Apache ActiveMQ Artemis is designed with usability in mind. - Written in Java. Runs on any platform with a Java 8+ runtime, that's everything from Windows desktops to IBM mainframes. - Amazing performance. Our ground-breaking high performance journal provides persistent messaging performance at rates normally seen for non-persistent messaging, our non-persistent messaging performance rocks the boat too. - Full feature set. All the features you'd expect in any serious messaging system, and others you won't find anywhere else. - Elegant, clean-cut design with minimal third party dependencies. Run ActiveMQ Artemis stand-alone, run it in integrated in your favourite JEE application server, or run it embedded inside your own product. It's up to you. - Seamless high availability. We provide a HA solution with automatic client failover so you can guarantee zero message loss or duplication in event of server failure. - Hugely flexible clustering. Create clusters of servers that know how to load balance messages. Link geographically distributed clusters over unreliable connections to form a global network. Configure routing of messages in a highly flexible way.