I am considering using ESB like Mule for my next project. The problem is that I've heard lots of critics about ESBs, mainly that they are heavyweights that cause more problems than they solve. What are the alternatives ? I would like a loosly copuled message based infrastructure that connects Java apps together , with some central routing. I am also considering Camel, but is seems to be too low level.
A:
An ESB (Enterprise Service Bus) is exactly what you're looking for.
For some applications (when a single application wants to implement a Service Oriented Architecture for example), they are considered heavy weight. They are also nutoriously difficult to configure at times.
But if you have multiple applications you want to integrate together with a federated Service Layer...the ESB is the way to go.
Justin Niessner
2009-11-12 15:32:34
1. What is "federated Service Layer" ?2. Any recommendations on which ESB product to choose ?
bugspy.net
2009-11-12 15:35:38
1. A single service layer to integrate all of your applications (making the integration as transparent and as loosely coupled as possible). 2. Can't make any specific suggestions at the moment. You could always check out Oracle's offering (Enterprise Service Bus).
Justin Niessner
2009-11-12 15:38:21
ESB's heavy weight criticism is often directed at its performance (latency and throughput), there are good solutions to solve those problem (http://vtd-xml.sf.net)
vtd-xml-author
2009-11-22 21:49:08