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Middleware

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This article has been tagged since April 2006.

This article is about integration software. For video game engine software, see Game engine#Middleware.

In computing, middleware consists of software agents acting as an intermediary between different application components. It is used most often to support complex, distributed applications. The software agents involved may be one or many.

1 Definition
2 Application Servers
3 Message Oriented Middleware
4 Other types of middleware
5 References
6 External links

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Definition

The ObjectWeb consortium gives the following definition of middleware: "In a distributed computing system, middleware is defined as the software layer that lies between the operating system and the applications on each side of the system." ^[1]

Middleware is now used to describe web servers, application servers, content management systems, and similar tools that support the application development and delivery process. Middleware is especially integral to modern information based on XML, SOAP, Web services, and service-oriented architecture.

Middleware is the enabling technology of Enterprise application integration.

In addition to the existing vendors updating their wares to address the newly expanded vision, vendors such as Mercator, Vitria, and webMethods were specifically founded to provide Web-oriented middleware tools. Groups such as the Apache Software Foundation and the ObjectWeb consortium encourage the development of open source middleware.

The term middleware is sometimes considered a buzzword.

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Application Servers

Please expand and improve this section. Further information might be found on this article's talk page or at Requests for expansion.

Main article: Application server

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Message Oriented Middleware

Message queuing or Message Oriented Middleware is one type of a middleware product. Middleware is an industry buzzword that describes a piece of software that allows two or more software applications to connect together so that they can exchange data.

Middleware is a relatively new addition to the computing landscape. It emerged in the 1980’s as a solution to the problem of how to link new applications to older legacy systems. It also facilitated distributed processing – the connection of multiple applications together to create a larger application, usually over a network.

Main article: Message Oriented Middleware

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