jetstream_bridge 3.0.2 → 4.0.0

data/README.md

@@ -31,43 +31,64 @@
 </p>
 
 <p align="center">
+  <a href="#-why-jetstream-bridge">Why?</a> •
   <a href="#-features">Features</a> •
-  <a href="#-install">Install</a> •
-  <a href="#-getting-started">Getting Started</a> •
-  <a href="#-operations-guide">Operations</a>
+  <a href="#-quick-start">Quick Start</a> •
+  <a href="#-documentation">Documentation</a> •
+  <a href="#-contributing">Contributing</a>
 </p>
 
 ---
 
+## 🎯 Why JetStream Bridge?
+
+Building event-driven systems with NATS JetStream is powerful, but comes with challenges:
+
+* **Reliability**: How do you guarantee messages aren't lost during deploys or network failures?
+* **Idempotency**: How do you prevent duplicate processing when messages are redelivered?
+* **Stream Management**: How do you avoid "subjects overlap" errors in production?
+* **Monitoring**: How do you know if your consumers are healthy and processing messages?
+* **Rails Integration**: How do you integrate cleanly with ActiveRecord transactions?
+
+**JetStream Bridge solves these problems** with production-tested patterns:
+
+* ✅ **Transactional Outbox** - Never lose events, even if NATS is down
+* ✅ **Idempotent Inbox** - Process each message exactly once, safely
+* ✅ **Automatic Stream Provisioning** - No more manual stream management or overlap conflicts
+* ✅ **Built-in Health Checks** - K8s-ready monitoring endpoints
+* ✅ **Rails-Native** - Works seamlessly with ActiveRecord and Rails conventions
+
+---
+
 ## ✨ Features
 
 ### Core Capabilities
 
-* 🔌 Simple **Publisher** and **Consumer** interfaces
-* 🛡 **Outbox** (reliable send) & **Inbox** (idempotent receive), opt-in
-* 🧨 **DLQ** for poison messages
-* ⚙️ Durable `pull_subscribe` with backoff & `max_deliver`
-* 🎯 Clear **source/destination** subject conventions
-* 🧱 **Overlap-safe stream ensure** (prevents "subjects overlap" BadRequest)
-* 🚂 **Rails generators** for initializer & migrations, plus an install **rake task**
-* ⚡️ **Eager-loaded models** via Railtie (production)
-* 📊 Configurable logging with sensible defaults
-
-### Production-Ready Features
-
-* 🏥 **Health checks** - Monitor NATS connection and stream status
-* 🔄 **Auto-reconnection** - Automatic recovery from connection failures
-* 🔒 **Race condition protection** - Pessimistic locking for outbox operations
-* 🛡️ **Transaction safety** - All database operations wrapped in transactions
-* 🎯 **Subject validation** - Prevents NATS wildcards in configuration
-* 🚦 **Graceful shutdown** - Signal handlers and message draining
-* 📈 **Retry strategies** - Pluggable exponential/linear backoff algorithms
-* 🎨 **Value objects** - Type-safe domain models for events and subjects
-* 🏗️ **SOLID architecture** - Clean separation of concerns and dependency injection
+* 🔌 **Simple Publisher and Consumer interfaces** - Write event-driven code in minutes with intuitive APIs that abstract NATS complexity
+* 🛡 **Outbox & Inbox patterns (opt-in)** - Guarantee exactly-once delivery with reliable send (Outbox) and idempotent receive (Inbox)
+* 🧨 **Dead Letter Queue (DLQ)** - Isolate and triage poison messages automatically instead of blocking your entire pipeline
+* ⚙️ **Durable pull subscriptions** - Never lose messages with configurable backoff strategies and max delivery attempts
+* 🎯 **Clear subject conventions** - Organized source/destination routing that scales across multiple services
+* 🧱 **Overlap-safe stream provisioning** - Automatically prevents "subjects overlap" errors with intelligent conflict detection
+* 🚂 **Rails generators included** - Generate initializers, migrations, and health checks with a single command
+* ⚡️ **Zero-downtime deploys** - Eager-loaded models via Railtie ensure production stability
+* 📊 **Observable by default** - Configurable logging with sensible defaults for debugging and monitoring
+
+### Production-Ready Reliability
+
+* 🏥 **Built-in health checks** - Monitor NATS connection, stream status, and configuration for K8s readiness/liveness probes
+* 🔄 **Automatic reconnection** - Recover from network failures and NATS restarts without manual intervention
+* 🔒 **Race condition protection** - Pessimistic locking prevents duplicate publishes in high-concurrency scenarios
+* 🛡️ **Transaction safety** - All database operations are atomic with automatic rollback on failures
+* 🎯 **Subject validation** - Catch configuration errors early by preventing NATS wildcards where they don't belong
+* 🚦 **Graceful shutdown** - Proper signal handling and message draining prevent data loss during deploys
+* 📈 **Pluggable retry strategies** - Choose exponential or linear backoff, or implement your own custom strategy
 
 ---
 
-## 📦 Install
+## 🚀 Quick Start
+
+### 1. Install the Gem
 
 ```ruby
 # Gemfile
@@ -78,6 +99,76 @@ gem "jetstream_bridge", "~> 3.0"
 bundle install
 ```
 
+### 2. Generate Configuration and Migrations
+
+```bash
+# Creates initializer and migrations
+bin/rails g jetstream_bridge:install
+
+# Run migrations
+bin/rails db:migrate
+```
+
+### 3. Configure Your Application
+
+```ruby
+# config/initializers/jetstream_bridge.rb
+JetstreamBridge.configure do |config|
+  config.nats_urls       = ENV.fetch("NATS_URLS", "nats://localhost:4222")
+  config.env             = ENV.fetch("RAILS_ENV", "development")
+  config.app_name        = "my_app"
+  config.destination_app = "other_app"  # Required: The app you're communicating with
+
+  # Enable reliability features (recommended for production)
+  config.use_outbox = true  # Transactional outbox pattern
+  config.use_inbox  = true  # Idempotent message processing
+  config.use_dlq    = true  # Dead letter queue for failed messages
+end
+```
+
+### 4. Publish Your First Event
+
+```ruby
+# In your Rails application
+JetstreamBridge.publish(
+  resource_type: "user",
+  event_type: "created",
+  payload: { id: user.id, email: user.email }
+)
+```
+
+### 5. Consume Events
+
+```ruby
+# Create a consumer (e.g., in a rake task or separate process)
+consumer = JetstreamBridge::Consumer.new do |event|
+  user_data = event.payload
+  # Your idempotent business logic here
+  User.find_or_create_by(id: user_data.id) do |user|
+    user.email = user_data.email
+  end
+end
+
+consumer.run! # Starts consuming messages
+```
+
+That's it! You're now publishing and consuming events with JetStream.
+
+---
+
+## 📖 Documentation
+
+### Table of Contents
+
+* [Installation & Setup](#-rails-generators--rake-tasks)
+* [Configuration](#-configuration)
+* [Publishing Events](#-publish-events)
+* [Consuming Events](#-consume-events)
+* [Database Setup](#-database-setup-inbox--outbox)
+* [Stream Topology](#-stream-topology-auto-ensure-and-overlap-safe)
+* [Operations Guide](#-operations-guide)
+* [Troubleshooting](#-troubleshooting)
+
 ---
 
 ## 🧰 Rails Generators & Rake Tasks
@@ -129,59 +220,178 @@ bin/rake jetstream_bridge:debug
 
 ---
 
-## 🔧 Configure (Rails)
+## 🔧 Configuration
+
+### Basic Configuration
 
 ```ruby
 # config/initializers/jetstream_bridge.rb
 JetstreamBridge.configure do |config|
-  # NATS connection
-  config.nats_urls       = ENV.fetch("NATS_URLS", "nats://localhost:4222")
-  config.env             = ENV.fetch("NATS_ENV",  "development")
-  config.app_name        = ENV.fetch("APP_NAME",  "app")
-  config.destination_app = ENV["DESTINATION_APP"] # required
+  # === Required Settings ===
 
-  # Consumer tuning
-  config.max_deliver = 5
-  config.ack_wait    = "30s"
-  config.backoff     = %w[1s 5s 15s 30s 60s]
+  # NATS server URLs (comma-separated for multiple servers)
+  config.nats_urls = ENV.fetch("NATS_URLS", "nats://localhost:4222")
 
-  # Reliability features (opt-in)
+  # Environment namespace (development, staging, production)
+  config.env = ENV.fetch("RAILS_ENV", "development")
+
+  # Your application name (used in subject routing)
+  config.app_name = ENV.fetch("APP_NAME", "my_app")
+
+  # The application you're communicating with (REQUIRED)
+  config.destination_app = ENV.fetch("DESTINATION_APP")
+
+  # === Reliability Features (Recommended for Production) ===
+
+  # Transactional Outbox: Ensures events are never lost
   config.use_outbox = true
-  config.use_inbox  = true
-  config.use_dlq    = true
 
-  # Models (override if you use custom AR classes/table names)
-  config.outbox_model = "JetstreamBridge::OutboxEvent"
-  config.inbox_model  = "JetstreamBridge::InboxEvent"
+  # Idempotent Inbox: Prevents duplicate processing
+  config.use_inbox = true
+
+  # Dead Letter Queue: Isolates poison messages
+  config.use_dlq = true
+
+  # === Consumer Tuning ===
+
+  # Maximum delivery attempts before moving to DLQ
+  config.max_deliver = 5
+
+  # Time to wait for acknowledgment before redelivery
+  config.ack_wait = "30s"
+
+  # Backoff delays between retries (exponential backoff)
+  config.backoff = %w[1s 5s 15s 30s 60s]
+
+  # === Advanced Options ===
 
-  # Logging
+  # Custom ActiveRecord models (if you have your own tables)
+  # config.outbox_model = "CustomOutboxEvent"
+  # config.inbox_model = "CustomInboxEvent"
+
+  # Custom logger
   # config.logger = Rails.logger
 end
 ```
 
-> **Defaults:**
->
-> * `stream_name` → `#{env}-jetstream-bridge-stream`
-> * `dlq_subject` → `#{env}.sync.dlq`
+### Configuration Reference
+
+| Setting | Type | Default | Description |
+|---------|------|---------|-------------|
+| `nats_urls` | String | `"nats://localhost:4222"` | NATS server URL(s), comma-separated |
+| `env` | String | `"development"` | Environment namespace for streams |
+| `app_name` | String | (required) | Your application identifier |
+| `destination_app` | String | (required) | Target application for events |
+| `use_outbox` | Boolean | `false` | Enable transactional outbox pattern |
+| `use_inbox` | Boolean | `false` | Enable idempotent inbox pattern |
+| `use_dlq` | Boolean | `false` | Enable dead letter queue |
+| `max_deliver` | Integer | `5` | Max delivery attempts before DLQ |
+| `ack_wait` | String/Integer | `"30s"` | Acknowledgment timeout |
+| `backoff` | Array | `["1s", "5s", "15s"]` | Retry backoff schedule |
+
+### Understanding Configuration Options
+
+#### When to Use Outbox
+
+Enable `use_outbox` when you need:
+
+* **Transactional guarantees**: Publish events as part of database transactions
+* **Reliability**: Ensure events are never lost, even if NATS is temporarily down
+* **Audit trail**: Keep a permanent record of all published events
+
+```ruby
+# Example: Publishing with outbox ensures atomicity
+ActiveRecord::Base.transaction do
+  user.save!
+  JetstreamBridge.publish(
+    resource_type: "user",
+    event_type: "created",
+    payload: { id: user.id }
+  ) # Event is saved in outbox table first
+end
+```
+
+#### When to Use Inbox
+
+Enable `use_inbox` when you need:
+
+* **Idempotency**: Process each message exactly once, even with redeliveries
+* **Duplicate protection**: Prevent duplicate processing across restarts
+* **Processing history**: Track which messages have been processed
+
+```ruby
+# Example: Inbox prevents duplicate processing
+# Even if the message is redelivered, it will be skipped
+# if already marked as processed
+```
+
+#### When to Use DLQ
+
+Enable `use_dlq` when you need:
+
+* **Poison message handling**: Isolate messages that repeatedly fail
+* **Manual intervention**: Review and retry failed messages later
+* **Pipeline protection**: Prevent one bad message from blocking the queue
+
+### Logging Configuration
+
+JetstreamBridge integrates with your application's logger:
+
+```ruby
+# Use Rails logger (default)
+config.logger = Rails.logger
+
+# Use custom logger
+config.logger = Logger.new(STDOUT)
+
+# Disable logging
+config.logger = Logger.new(IO::NULL)
+```
+
+### Environment Variables
+
+Recommended environment variable setup:
+
+```bash
+# .env (or your deployment configuration)
+NATS_URLS=nats://nats1:4222,nats://nats2:4222,nats://nats3:4222
+RAILS_ENV=production
+APP_NAME=api_service
+DESTINATION_APP=notification_service
+```
+
+### Generated Streams and Subjects
 
-### Logging
+Based on your configuration, JetStream Bridge automatically creates:
 
-JetstreamBridge logs through `config.logger` when set, falling back to `Rails.logger` or STDOUT. Provide any `Logger`-compatible instance in the initializer to integrate with your application's logging setup.
+* **Stream Name**: `{env}-jetstream-bridge-stream`
+  * Example: `production-jetstream-bridge-stream`
+
+* **Publish Subject**: `{env}.{app_name}.sync.{destination_app}`
+  * Example: `production.api_service.sync.notification_service`
+
+* **Subscribe Subject**: `{env}.{destination_app}.sync.{app_name}`
+  * Example: `production.notification_service.sync.api_service`
+
+* **DLQ Subject**: `{env}.{app}.sync.dlq` (per-app DLQ for isolation)
+  * Example: `production.api_service.sync.dlq`
 
 ---
 
 ## 📡 Subject Conventions
 
-| Direction     | Subject Pattern           |
-|---------------|---------------------------|
-| **Publish**   | `{env}.{app}.sync.{dest}` |
-| **Subscribe** | `{env}.{dest}.sync.{app}` |
-| **DLQ**       | `{env}.sync.dlq`          |
+| Direction     | Subject Pattern              |
+|---------------|------------------------------|
+| **Publish**   | `{env}.{app}.sync.{dest}`    |
+| **Subscribe** | `{env}.{dest}.sync.{app}`    |
+| **DLQ**       | `{env}.{app}.sync.dlq`       |
 
 * `{app}`: `app_name`
 * `{dest}`: `destination_app`
 * `{env}`: `env`
 
+**Note**: Each application has its own DLQ (`{env}.{app}.sync.dlq`) for better isolation, monitoring, and debugging. This allows you to track failed messages per service.
+
 ---
 
 ## 🧱 Stream Topology (auto-ensure and overlap-safe)
@@ -249,51 +459,649 @@ add_index :jetstream_inbox_events, :status
 
 ## 📤 Publish Events
 
+JetStream Bridge provides two ways to publish events: a convenience method and a direct publisher instance.
+
+### Using the Convenience Method to Consume Events
+
+The simplest way to publish events:
+
+```ruby
+# Basic usage with structured parameters
+JetstreamBridge.publish(
+  resource_type: "user",
+  event_type: "created",
+  payload: { id: user.id, email: user.email, name: user.name }
+)
+
+# Returns true on success, raises error on failure
+```
+
+### Publishing Patterns
+
+#### 1. Structured Parameters (Recommended)
+
+Best for explicit, clear code:
+
+```ruby
+JetstreamBridge.publish(
+  resource_type: "user",
+  event_type: "created",
+  payload: { id: "01H...", email: "ada@example.com" },
+  # Optional parameters:
+  event_id: SecureRandom.uuid,      # Auto-generated if not provided
+  trace_id: request_id,              # For distributed tracing
+  occurred_at: Time.now.utc,         # Defaults to current time
+  subject: "custom.subject.override" # Override default subject
+)
+```
+
+#### 2. Simplified Hash (Infers resource_type)
+
+Use dot notation in `event_type` to infer `resource_type`:
+
+```ruby
+JetstreamBridge.publish(
+  event_type: "user.created",  # "user" becomes resource_type
+  payload: { id: "01H...", email: "ada@example.com" }
+)
+```
+
+#### 3. Complete Envelope (Advanced)
+
+Pass a full envelope hash for maximum control:
+
+```ruby
+JetstreamBridge.publish(
+  event_type: "created",
+  resource_type: "user",
+  payload: { id: "01H...", email: "ada@example.com" },
+  event_id: "custom-event-id",
+  occurred_at: 1.hour.ago.iso8601,
+  producer: "custom-producer"
+)
+```
+
+### Using Publisher Instances
+
+For more control or batch operations:
+
 ```ruby
 publisher = JetstreamBridge::Publisher.new
+
+# Publish multiple events
 publisher.publish(
   resource_type: "user",
-  event_type:    "created",
-  payload:       { id: "01H...", name: "Ada" },  # resource_id inferred from payload[:id] / payload["id"]
-  # optional:
-  # event_id: "uuid-or-ulid",
-  # trace_id: "hex",
-  # occurred_at: Time.now.utc
+  event_type: "created",
+  payload: { id: user.id }
+)
+
+publisher.publish(
+  resource_type: "user",
+  event_type: "updated",
+  payload: { id: user.id, email: user.email }
 )
 ```
 
-If **Outbox** is enabled, the publish call:
+#### Thread Safety
+
+Publisher instances are **thread-safe** and can be shared across multiple threads:
 
-* Upserts an outbox row by `event_id`
-* Publishes with `nats-msg-id` (idempotent)
-* Marks status `sent` or records `failed` with `last_error`
+```ruby
+# Safe: Share publisher across threads
+@publisher = JetstreamBridge::Publisher.new
+
+# Multiple threads can publish concurrently
+threads = 10.times.map do |i|
+  Thread.new do
+    @publisher.publish(
+      event_type: "user.created",
+      payload: { id: i, name: "User #{i}" }
+    )
+  end
+end
+
+threads.each(&:join)
+```
+
+The underlying NATS connection is managed through a thread-safe singleton, ensuring safe concurrent access. However, for high-throughput scenarios, consider:
+
+* Using the convenience method `JetstreamBridge.publish(...)` which handles connection management automatically
+* Creating a connection pool if you need isolated error handling per thread
+* Using batch publishing for bulk operations: `JetstreamBridge.publish_batch { ... }`
+
+### Publishing with Transactions (Outbox Pattern)
+
+When `use_outbox` is enabled, events are saved to the database first:
+
+```ruby
+# Atomic: both user creation and event publishing succeed or fail together
+ActiveRecord::Base.transaction do
+  user = User.create!(email: "ada@example.com")
+
+  JetstreamBridge.publish(
+    resource_type: "user",
+    event_type: "created",
+    payload: { id: user.id, email: user.email }
+  )
+end
+# Event is saved in outbox table, published to NATS asynchronously
+```
+
+### Outbox Behavior
+
+If **Outbox** is enabled (`config.use_outbox = true`):
+
+* ✅ Events are saved to `jetstream_outbox_events` table first
+* ✅ Published with `nats-msg-id` header for idempotency
+* ✅ Marked as `sent` on success or `failed` with error details
+* ✅ Survives NATS downtime - events queued for retry
+* ✅ Provides audit trail of all published events
+
+### Real-World Publishing Examples
+
+#### Publishing Domain Events
+
+```ruby
+# After user registration
+class UsersController < ApplicationController
+  def create
+    ActiveRecord::Base.transaction do
+      @user = User.create!(user_params)
+
+      JetstreamBridge.publish(
+        resource_type: "user",
+        event_type: "registered",
+        payload: {
+          id: @user.id,
+          email: @user.email,
+          name: @user.name,
+          plan: @user.plan
+        },
+        trace_id: request.request_id
+      )
+    end
+
+    redirect_to @user
+  end
+end
+```
+
+#### Publishing State Changes
+
+```ruby
+# In your model or service object
+class Order
+  after_commit :publish_status_change, if: :saved_change_to_status?
+
+  private
+
+  def publish_status_change
+    JetstreamBridge.publish(
+      resource_type: "order",
+      event_type: "status_changed",
+      payload: {
+        id: id,
+        status: status,
+        previous_status: status_before_last_save,
+        changed_at: updated_at
+      }
+    )
+  end
+end
+```
+
+#### Publishing with Distributed Tracing
+
+```ruby
+# Include trace_id for correlation across services
+JetstreamBridge.publish(
+  resource_type: "payment",
+  event_type: "processed",
+  payload: { order_id: order.id, amount: payment.amount },
+  trace_id: Current.request_id,
+  event_id: payment.transaction_id
+)
+```
 
 ---
 
 ## 📥 Consume Events
 
+JetStream Bridge provides two ways to consume events: a convenience method and direct consumer instances.
+
+### Using the Convenience Method (Recommended)
+
+The simplest way to start consuming events:
+
 ```ruby
-JetstreamBridge::Consumer.new do |event, subject, deliveries|
-  # Your idempotent domain logic here
-  # `event` is the parsed envelope hash
-  UserCreatedHandler.call(event["payload"])
-end.run!
+# Start consumer and run in current thread (receives Event object)
+consumer = JetstreamBridge.subscribe do |event|
+  # event is a Models::Event object with structured access
+  puts "Processing: #{event.type}"
+  puts "Payload: #{event.payload.to_h}"
+  puts "Event ID: #{event.event_id}"
+  puts "Deliveries: #{event.deliveries}"
+
+  User.find_or_create_by(id: event.payload.id) do |user|
+    user.email = event.payload.email
+  end
+end
+
+consumer.run! # Blocks and processes messages
+```
+
+**Note:** The consumer handler receives a structured `Models::Event` object (not a raw hash) with convenient accessor methods for event data and metadata.
+
+### Understanding the Event Object
+
+Consumers receive a `JetstreamBridge::Models::Event` object that provides structured access to event data and metadata:
+
+```ruby
+JetstreamBridge.subscribe do |event|
+  # Event data
+  event.event_id       # => "abc-123-def"
+  event.type           # => "user.created" (event_type)
+  event.resource_type  # => "user"
+  event.resource_id    # => "123"
+  event.producer       # => "api_service"
+  event.occurred_at    # => 2025-01-15 10:30:00 UTC (Time object)
+  event.trace_id       # => "xyz789"
+
+  # Payload access (method-style or hash-style)
+  event.payload.id          # => 123
+  event.payload.email       # => "ada@example.com"
+  event.payload["id"]       # => 123 (also works)
+  event.payload.to_h        # => { "id" => 123, "email" => "ada@example.com" }
+
+  # Delivery metadata
+  event.deliveries     # => 1 (delivery attempt count)
+  event.subject        # => "production.api.sync.worker"
+  event.stream         # => "production-jetstream-bridge-stream"
+  event.sequence       # => 42 (stream sequence number)
+
+  # Access all metadata
+  event.metadata.to_h  # => { subject: "...", deliveries: 1, ... }
+
+  # Convert to hash (for backwards compatibility)
+  event.to_h           # => Full event as hash
+  event["event_type"]  # => "user.created" (hash-style access)
+end
+```
+
+This structured approach provides type safety, cleaner code, and better IDE support compared to raw hashes.
+
+### Consuming Patterns
+
+#### 1. Basic Consumer with Block
+
+```ruby
+consumer = JetstreamBridge.subscribe do |event|
+  # event: Models::Event object with structured access
+  # event.type: Event type (e.g., "created", "user.created")
+  # event.payload: PayloadAccessor for event data
+  # event.deliveries: Number of delivery attempts (starts at 1)
+  # event.metadata: Delivery metadata (subject, stream, sequence, etc.)
+
+  case event.type
+  when "created"
+    UserCreatedHandler.call(event.payload.to_h)
+  when "updated"
+    UserUpdatedHandler.call(event.payload.to_h)
+  when "deleted"
+    UserDeletedHandler.call(event.payload.to_h)
+  end
+end
+
+consumer.run! # Start consuming
+```
+
+#### 2. Run Consumer in Background Thread
+
+```ruby
+# Returns a Thread instead of Consumer
+thread = JetstreamBridge.subscribe(run: true) do |event|
+  ProcessEventJob.perform_later(event.to_h)
+end
+
+# Consumer runs in background
+# Your application continues
+
+# Later, to stop:
+thread.kill
+```
+
+#### 3. Consumer with Handler Object
+
+```ruby
+class EventHandler
+  def call(event)
+    logger.info "Processing #{event.type} from #{event.subject} (attempt #{event.deliveries})"
+    # Your logic here
+  end
+end
+
+handler = EventHandler.new
+consumer = JetstreamBridge.subscribe(handler)
+consumer.run!
+```
+
+#### 4. Consumer with Custom Configuration
+
+```ruby
+consumer = JetstreamBridge.subscribe(
+  durable_name: "my-custom-consumer",
+  batch_size: 10
+) do |event|
+  # Process events in batches of 10
+end
+
+consumer.run!
+```
+
+#### 5. Consumer with Middleware
+
+Add cross-cutting concerns like logging, metrics, and tracing using middleware:
+
+```ruby
+consumer = JetstreamBridge.subscribe do |event|
+  process_event(event)
+end
+
+# Add built-in middleware
+consumer.use(JetstreamBridge::Consumer::LoggingMiddleware.new)
+consumer.use(JetstreamBridge::Consumer::MetricsMiddleware.new(
+  on_success: ->(event, duration) { StatsD.timing("event.process", duration) },
+  on_failure: ->(event, error) { StatsD.increment("event.failed") }
+))
+consumer.use(JetstreamBridge::Consumer::TimeoutMiddleware.new(timeout: 30))
+
+consumer.run!
+```
+
+**Available Middleware:**
+
+* `LoggingMiddleware` - Logs event processing start, completion, and errors
+* `ErrorHandlingMiddleware` - Custom error handling with callbacks
+* `MetricsMiddleware` - Track processing metrics and timing
+* `TracingMiddleware` - Distributed tracing support (sets Current.trace_id)
+* `TimeoutMiddleware` - Prevent long-running handlers from blocking
+
+**Custom Middleware Example:**
+
+```ruby
+class RetryMiddleware
+  def initialize(max_retries: 3)
+    @max_retries = max_retries
+  end
+
+  def call(event)
+    retries = 0
+    begin
+      yield
+    rescue TransientError => e
+      retries += 1
+      if retries < @max_retries
+        sleep(retries)
+        retry
+      else
+        raise
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
+
+consumer.use(RetryMiddleware.new(max_retries: 5))
+```
+
+### Using Consumer Instances Directly
+
+For more control over the consumer lifecycle:
+
+```ruby
+consumer = JetstreamBridge::Consumer.new do |event|
+  # event: Models::Event object with structured access
+
+  logger.info "Processing #{event.type} (attempt #{event.deliveries})"
+
+  begin
+    process_event(event)
+  rescue RecoverableError => e
+    # Let JetStream retry with backoff
+    raise
+  rescue UnrecoverableError => e
+    # Log and acknowledge to prevent infinite retries
+    logger.error "Unrecoverable error: #{e.message}"
+    # Automatically moved to DLQ if configured
+  end
+end
+
+consumer.run! # Start processing
+```
+
+### Understanding the Handler Signature
+
+Your handler receives a single `Models::Event` parameter with all event and metadata:
+
+```ruby
+JetstreamBridge.subscribe do |event|
+  # event: Models::Event - structured event object
+
+  puts "Event type: #{event.type}"
+  puts "Event ID: #{event.event_id}"
+  puts "Subject: #{event.subject}"
+  puts "Delivery attempt: #{event.deliveries}"
+  puts "Trace ID: #{event.trace_id}"
+
+  # Access payload
+  puts "User ID: #{event.payload.id}"
+  puts "Email: #{event.payload.email}"
+
+  # Implement retry logic based on deliveries if needed
+  raise "Transient error, retry" if event.deliveries < 3 && some_transient_condition?
+end
+```
+
+### Consumer Options
+
+| Option | Type | Default | Description |
+|--------|------|---------|-------------|
+| `handler` | Proc/Callable | (required) | Block or object that responds to `call` |
+| `run` | Boolean | `false` | Start consumer in background thread |
+| `durable_name` | String | From config | Custom durable consumer name |
+| `batch_size` | Integer | From config | Number of messages to fetch at once |
+
+### Inbox Behavior
+
+If **Inbox** is enabled (`config.use_inbox = true`):
+
+* ✅ Deduplicates by `event_id` (or stream sequence as fallback)
+* ✅ Records processing state, errors, and timestamps
+* ✅ Skips already-processed messages automatically
+* ✅ Provides processing history and audit trail
+* ✅ Safe across restarts and redeliveries
+
+```ruby
+# With inbox enabled, this is automatically idempotent:
+JetstreamBridge.subscribe do |event|
+  # Even if message is redelivered, it won't execute twice
+  User.create!(email: event.payload.email)
+end
+```
+
+### Real-World Consuming Examples
+
+#### Processing in Rake Task
+
+```ruby
+# lib/tasks/consume_events.rake
+namespace :jetstream do
+  desc "Start event consumer"
+  task consume: :environment do
+    consumer = JetstreamBridge.subscribe do |event|
+      Rails.logger.info "Processing #{event.type} (attempt #{event.deliveries})"
+
+      case event.resource_type
+      when "user"
+        UserEventHandler.process(event)
+      when "order"
+        OrderEventHandler.process(event)
+      else
+        Rails.logger.warn "Unknown resource type: #{event.resource_type}"
+      end
+    end
+
+    # Graceful shutdown on SIGTERM
+    trap("TERM") { consumer.stop! }
+
+    consumer.run!
+  end
+end
+```
+
+#### Background Job Processing
+
+```ruby
+# Offload to background jobs for complex processing
+JetstreamBridge.subscribe(run: true) do |event|
+  ProcessEventJob.perform_later(
+    event: event.to_h.to_json,
+    event_id: event.event_id,
+    trace_id: event.trace_id
+  )
+end
+
+# app/jobs/process_event_job.rb
+class ProcessEventJob < ApplicationJob
+  queue_as :events
+
+  def perform(event:, event_id:, trace_id:)
+    event_data = JSON.parse(event)
+
+    # Complex processing with retries
+    case event_data["type"]
+    when "user.created"
+      SendWelcomeEmailService.call(event_data["payload"])
+    when "order.completed"
+      GenerateInvoiceService.call(event_data["payload"])
+    end
+  rescue => e
+    logger.error "Failed to process event #{event_id}: #{e.message}"
+    raise # Let Sidekiq retry
+  end
+end
 ```
 
-`durable_name` and `batch_size` default to the configured values and can be
-overridden if needed:
+#### Event Router Pattern
 
 ```ruby
-JetstreamBridge::Consumer.new(durable_name: 'my-durable', batch_size: 10) do |event, subject, deliveries|
-  # ...
+# app/services/event_router.rb
+class EventRouter
+  def self.route(event)
+    handler_class = "#{event.resource_type.camelize}#{event.type.camelize}Handler"
+
+    if Object.const_defined?(handler_class)
+      handler_class.constantize.new.call(event)
+    else
+      Rails.logger.warn "No handler for #{event.resource_type}.#{event.type}"
+    end
+  end
+end
+
+# Start consumer with router
+JetstreamBridge.subscribe do |event|
+  EventRouter.route(event)
 end.run!
 ```
 
-If **Inbox** is enabled, the consumer:
+#### Multi-Service Consumer
+
+```ruby
+# app/consumers/application_consumer.rb
+class ApplicationConsumer
+  def self.start!
+    consumer = JetstreamBridge.subscribe do |event|
+      begin
+        new.process(event)
+      rescue => e
+        Rails.logger.error "Error processing event: #{e.message}"
+        raise # Trigger retry/DLQ
+      end
+    end
+
+    # Handle signals gracefully
+    %w[INT TERM].each do |signal|
+      trap(signal) do
+        Rails.logger.info "Shutting down consumer..."
+        consumer.stop!
+        exit
+      end
+    end
+
+    Rails.logger.info "Consumer started. Press Ctrl+C to stop."
+    consumer.run!
+  end
+
+  def process(event)
+    # Log for observability
+    Rails.logger.info(
+      message: "Processing event",
+      event_id: event.event_id,
+      event_type: event.type,
+      resource_type: event.resource_type,
+      trace_id: event.trace_id,
+      subject: event.subject,
+      deliveries: event.deliveries
+    )
+
+    # Route to specific handler
+    handler = handler_for(event)
+    handler.call(event.payload.to_h, event)
+  end
+
+  private
+
+  def handler_for(event)
+    case [event.resource_type, event.type]
+    when ["user", "created"]
+      UserCreatedHandler
+    when ["user", "updated"]
+      UserUpdatedHandler
+    when ["order", "completed"]
+      OrderCompletedHandler
+    else
+      UnknownEventHandler
+    end
+  end
+end
+```
+
+#### Dockerized Consumer
+
+```dockerfile
+# Dockerfile.consumer
+FROM ruby:3.2
 
-* Dedupes by `event_id` (falls back to stream sequence if needed)
-* Records processing state, errors, and timestamps
-* Skips already-processed messages (acks immediately)
+WORKDIR /app
+COPY . .
+RUN bundle install
+
+CMD ["bundle", "exec", "rake", "jetstream:consume"]
+```
+
+```yaml
+# docker-compose.yml
+services:
+  consumer:
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile.consumer
+    environment:
+      - NATS_URLS=nats://nats:4222
+      - RAILS_ENV=production
+    depends_on:
+      - nats
+    restart: unless-stopped
+```
 
 ---
 
@@ -319,10 +1127,97 @@ If **Inbox** is enabled, the consumer:
 
 ## 🧨 Dead-Letter Queue (DLQ)
 
-When enabled, the topology ensures the DLQ subject exists:
-**`{env}.sync.dlq`**
+When enabled, the topology ensures each app has its own DLQ subject:
+**`{env}.{app_name}.sync.dlq`**
+
+This per-app DLQ approach provides:
+
+* **Isolation**: Failed messages from different services don't mix
+* **Easier Monitoring**: Track DLQ metrics per service
+* **Simpler Debugging**: Identify which service is having issues
+* **Independent Processing**: Each team can manage their own DLQ consumer
+
+### How DLQ Works
+
+Messages are automatically moved to the DLQ when:
+
+* Delivery attempts exceed `max_deliver` (default: 5)
+* Handler raises an unrecoverable error
+* Message cannot be processed successfully after all retries
+
+### Consuming DLQ Messages
+
+You can run a separate consumer to monitor and process DLQ messages:
+
+```ruby
+# lib/tasks/dlq_consumer.rake
+namespace :jetstream do
+  desc "Process Dead Letter Queue messages"
+  task consume_dlq: :environment do
+    # Create a custom consumer for DLQ subject
+    dlq_subject = JetstreamBridge.config.dlq_subject
+
+    consumer = JetstreamBridge::Consumer.new(
+      durable_name: "#{JetstreamBridge.config.env}-dlq-processor"
+    ) do |event|
+      # Log failed event for manual review
+      Rails.logger.error(
+        "DLQ Event: #{event.event_id}",
+        event_type: event.type,
+        deliveries: event.deliveries,
+        payload: event.payload.to_h,
+        trace_id: event.trace_id
+      )
+
+      # Optionally: store in database for manual intervention
+      FailedEvent.create!(
+        event_id: event.event_id,
+        event_type: event.type,
+        payload: event.payload.to_h,
+        deliveries: event.deliveries,
+        failed_at: Time.current
+      )
+
+      # Or attempt recovery logic
+      case event.type
+      when "payment.processed"
+        # Manual payment reconciliation
+        PaymentReconciliationService.call(event.payload.to_h)
+      else
+        # Alert on-call team
+        AlertService.notify("DLQ event requires attention", event: event.to_h)
+      end
+    end
+
+    # Graceful shutdown
+    trap("TERM") { consumer.stop! }
+
+    Rails.logger.info "DLQ Consumer started on #{dlq_subject}"
+    consumer.run!
+  end
+end
+```
+
+**Run the DLQ consumer:**
+
+```bash
+bundle exec rake jetstream:consume_dlq
+```
+
+### DLQ Monitoring
+
+Monitor DLQ health and volume:
+
+```ruby
+# Check DLQ message count
+stream_info = JetstreamBridge.stream_info
+dlq_count = stream_info[:messages] # Messages in DLQ subject
 
-You may run a separate process to subscribe and triage messages that exceed `max_deliver` or are NAK'ed to the DLQ.
+# Alert if DLQ is growing
+if dlq_count > 100
+  AlertService.notify("DLQ has #{dlq_count} messages")
+end
+```
 
 ---
 
@@ -331,8 +1226,9 @@ You may run a separate process to subscribe and triage messages that exceed `max
 ### Monitoring
 
 * **Consumer lag**: `nats consumer info <stream> <durable>`
-* **DLQ volume**: subscribe/metrics on `{env}.sync.dlq`
-* **Outbox backlog**: alert on `jetstream_outbox_events` with `status != 'sent'` and growing count
+* **DLQ volume**: Monitor your app's DLQ subject `{env}.{app_name}.sync.dlq`
+  * Example: `nats sub "production.api.sync.dlq" --count`
+* **Outbox backlog**: Alert on `jetstream_outbox_events` with `status != 'sent'` and growing count
 
 ### Scaling
 
@@ -392,6 +1288,175 @@ JetstreamBridge::DebugHelper.debug_info
 
 ---
 
+## 🤝 Contributing
+
+We welcome contributions from the community! Here's how you can help:
+
+### Getting Started
+
+1. **Fork the repository** on GitHub
+2. **Clone your fork** locally:
+
+   ```bash
+   git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/jetstream_bridge.git
+   cd jetstream_bridge
+   ```
+
+3. **Install dependencies**:
+
+   ```bash
+   bundle install
+   ```
+
+4. **Set up NATS** for testing (requires Docker):
+
+   ```bash
+   docker run -d -p 4222:4222 nats:latest -js
+   ```
+
+### Development Workflow
+
+1. **Create a feature branch**:
+
+   ```bash
+   git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
+   ```
+
+2. **Make your changes** with tests:
+   * Write meaningful commit messages
+   * Add tests for new functionality
+   * Update documentation as needed
+
+3. **Run the test suite**:
+
+   ```bash
+   bundle exec rspec
+   ```
+
+4. **Check code quality**:
+
+   ```bash
+   bundle exec rubocop
+   ```
+
+5. **Push to your fork** and submit a pull request
+
+### Code Quality Standards
+
+* **Test Coverage**: Maintain >80% line coverage and >70% branch coverage
+* **RuboCop**: All code must pass RuboCop checks with zero offenses
+* **Tests**: All tests must pass before merging
+* **Documentation**: Update README and inline docs for new features
+
+### Pull Request Guidelines
+
+* **Title**: Use clear, descriptive titles (e.g., "Add health check endpoint generator")
+* **Description**: Explain what changes were made and why
+* **Tests**: Include tests for bug fixes and new features
+* **Documentation**: Update relevant documentation
+* **One feature per PR**: Keep pull requests focused and reviewable
+
+### Reporting Issues
+
+When reporting bugs, please include:
+
+* **Ruby version**: Output of `ruby -v`
+* **Gem version**: Output of `bundle show jetstream_bridge`
+* **NATS version**: Version of NATS server
+* **Steps to reproduce**: Minimal example that reproduces the issue
+* **Expected behavior**: What you expected to happen
+* **Actual behavior**: What actually happened
+* **Logs/errors**: Relevant error messages or stack traces
+
+### Feature Requests
+
+We love hearing your ideas! When proposing features:
+
+* Search existing issues to avoid duplicates
+* Describe the problem you're trying to solve
+* Explain your proposed solution
+* Consider backwards compatibility
+
+## 🏗️ Development
+
+### Running Tests
+
+```bash
+# Run all tests
+bundle exec rspec
+
+# Run specific test file
+bundle exec rspec spec/publisher/publisher_spec.rb
+
+# Run with coverage report
+COVERAGE=true bundle exec rspec
+```
+
+### Code Coverage
+
+Coverage reports are generated automatically and saved to `coverage/`. View the HTML report:
+
+```bash
+open coverage/index.html
+```
+
+### Linting
+
+```bash
+# Run RuboCop
+bundle exec rubocop
+
+# Auto-fix violations
+bundle exec rubocop -A
+```
+
+### Local Testing with Rails
+
+To test the gem in a Rails application:
+
+1. Point your Gemfile to the local path:
+
+   ```ruby
+   gem "jetstream_bridge", path: "../jetstream_bridge"
+   ```
+
+2. Run bundle:
+
+   ```bash
+   bundle install
+   ```
+
+## 📋 Code of Conduct
+
+This project follows the [Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md). By participating, you are expected to uphold this code. Please report unacceptable behavior to the project maintainers.
+
+### Our Standards
+
+* **Be respectful**: Treat everyone with respect and consideration
+* **Be inclusive**: Welcome diverse perspectives and experiences
+* **Be collaborative**: Work together constructively
+* **Be professional**: Keep discussions focused and constructive
+
+## 🌟 Community
+
+* **Discussions**: Use GitHub Discussions for questions and ideas
+* **Issues**: Report bugs and request features via GitHub Issues
+* **Pull Requests**: Submit improvements via pull requests
+
+## 🙏 Acknowledgments
+
+Built with:
+
+* [NATS.io](https://nats.io) - High-performance messaging system
+* [nats-pure.rb](https://github.com/nats-io/nats-pure.rb) - Ruby client for NATS
+
+## 📊 Project Status
+
+* **CI/CD**: Automated testing and code quality checks
+* **Code Coverage**: 85%+ maintained
+* **Active Development**: Regular updates and maintenance
+* **Semantic Versioning**: Follows [SemVer](https://semver.org/)
+
 ## 📄 License
 
-[MIT License](LICENSE)
+[MIT License](LICENSE) - Copyright (c) 2025 Mike Attara