In this chapter, we'll learn about the actor model and how it is implemented in Akka. We'll make ourselves familiar with Akka by building a simple yet complete actor system. We will then learn how to create an actor system and actors, pass messages between them, make use of location transparency and remoting, properly structure the system for effective supervision, and look at how finite-state machine (FSM) actors work. Finally, we'll show you how to test actor-based applications. 

The following topics will be covered in this chapter:

• The actor model
• The basics of Akka
• Akka FSM
• Akka remoting
• Testing