Middleware (distributed applications): Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Provides services for the various components of a distributed system}}'''Middleware''' in the context of [[Distributed Application|distributed applications]] is [[software]] that provides services beyond those provided by the [[operating system]] to enable the various components of a distributed system to communicate and manage data. Middleware supports and simplifies complex [[distributed application]]s. It includes [[web server]]s, [[application server]]s, messaging and similar tools that support application development and delivery. Middleware is especially integral to modern information technology based on [[XML]], [[SOAP]], [[Web service]]s, and [[service-oriented architecture]].

{{short description|Provides services for the various components of a distributed system}}

{{About|distributed applications|middleware in general|Middleware}}

'''Middleware''' in the context of [[Distributed Application|distributed applications]] is [[software]] that provides services beyond those provided by the [[operating system]] to enable the various components of a distributed system to communicate and manage data. Middleware supports and simplifies complex [[distributed application]]s. It includes [[web server]]s, [[application server]]s, messaging and similar tools that support application development and delivery. Middleware is especially integral to modern information technology based on [[XML]], [[SOAP]], [[Web service]]s, and [[service-oriented architecture]].

Middleware often enables [[interoperability]] between applications that run on different operating systems, by supplying services so the application can exchange data in a standards-based way. Middleware sits "in the middle" between [[application software]] that may be working on different [[operating system]]s. It is similar to the middle layer of a [[Multitier architecture|three-tier]] single system architecture, except that it is stretched across multiple systems or applications. Examples include [[Enterprise Application Integration|EAI]] software, telecommunications software, [[Transaction Processing System|transaction monitors]], and messaging-and-queueing software.