What Is Middleware?

Middleware is a layer of software that enables

interaction and transmission of information between
assorted applications and services that make up a
complex system, providing a uniform user experience
for clients.

Today’s technology infrastructure is no more a standalone

monolith with everything created for and deployed within a
single, homogenous system. Technology is constantly
evolving. The introduction of affordable and flexible cloud
solutions has allowed businesses to evolve along with these
new technologies. The rapid pace of innovation in cloud
services gives companies employing them a huge
competitive edge. Cloud adoption rates have soared at such
a rapid pace in the last few years that IDC forecasts cloud
spending to surpass $1 trillion in 2024.

Today’s consumers have also evolved with technology. They

can access the services of a business from any device,
ranging from a smartwatch to a sophisticated, high-
configuration computer. Gartner predicts that more than 15
billion IoT devices will connect to enterprise infrastructure
by 2029.
Middleware Architecture

With access to such fast-moving and varied technology, most

organizations have taken the ‘best of breed’ approach,
meaning they pick the best available product or service for
each individual business requirement and then find a way to
make them all work together.

This is where middleware comes into the picture. Middleware

is often described as the ‘glue’ that holds disparate systems–
from edge computing to legacy infrastructure–together. The
underlying programming language that each system is
written in differs. This means that what one system
understands may be incomprehensible to another.
Middleware is akin to a translator who facilitates people from
different parts of the world in communicating with one
another. It provides a common ground of communication,
allowing for ease of integration and interoperability.

The most common example of middleware in action is online

shopping sites. When users shop, they browse through
catalogs, get personalized recommendations, buy desired
products, receive intimations about delivery status, and
finally receive their products. This is all done with the help of
middleware. Middleware connects the payment, accounting,
production shipping, and notification systems, providing the
shopper with a seamless user experience.

Types of middleware

The word ‘middleware’ is a broad term covering different

types of middleware based on the various functionalities they
provide. Some common types of middleware include:

1. Database middleware: This is the most common

middleware that enables access and interaction with
different database gateways.
2. Message-oriented middleware: It allows software
applications across multiple operating systems and
networking protocols to receive and send messages
to each other.
3. Portals: Enterprises use portal middleware to
facilitate interactions between client-facing systems
and backend systems.
4. Enterprise application integration: This is a
virtual layer that connects applications, data,
processes, and services, irrespective of where they
are located (cloud or on-premise) and what
technology they are based on.
5. Transactional middleware: This type of
middleware ensures that transactions between
heterogeneous components go through all the
necessary steps to reach completion.
6. Content middleware: This is used to abstract
specific content that is similar to publish and
subscribe models.
7. Remote procedure call (RPC) middleware: This
allows one application to trigger a function in
another application, whether they reside in the same
network.
8. Device middleware: This type contains a specific
set of capabilities to integrate with or build
applications on specific devices. It is usually used to
build mobile applications.
9. Object request broker (ORB) middleware: This
broker handles requests from one application to
another without letting the applications worry about
where each is hosted.
10.Platform middleware: This kind of middleware
allows business logic to be seated in any platform
(OS or hardware), including web servers, application
servers, hosting environments, or containers.
 11.Application server middleware: This framework
allows the creation, deployment, and maintenance of
enterprise applications within a system.
12.Web middleware: This allows companies to
integrate more easily with individual backend
systems, just like the ecommerce example
mentioned earlier.
13.Robotics middleware: This simplifies the
integration of robotic hardware, firmware, and
software, irrespective of manufacturer and location.
14.Cloud middleware: Cloud middleware sits
between the operating systems behind the cloud
and the cloud users, providing a remote platform to
create, maintain, and communicate with the hosted
applications and data.

Most businesses today use at least one of these types of

middleware for their everyday operations. Large enterprises
often require a combination of these to be financially,
operationally, and technologically savvy.

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Key Components of Middleware Architecture

Middleware solutions are usually software-only, with
hardware components very rarely in the mix. The idea of
middleware is to provide a virtual layer between various
applications and the platform layer.

Most middleware follows the service-oriented architecture

(SOA) design or is designed as a platform-as-a-service (PaaS)
solution. SOA is an architectural style that tries to achieve
loosely coupled software applications that interact among
themselves to run as a whole. It is adopted by organizations
trying to decouple all their business units, depending on
integration and reusability for daily operations. SOA allows
organizations to use existing application and system
investments.

Every requirement of middleware points toward service-

oriented architecture. This calls for individual, reusable
components with their own topology. Each of these
components must be able to interact with one another and
other parts of the system. Apart from some basic
components, each type of middleware needs a specific
component. For example, a database middleware needs a
database manager component.

Here are the key entities of each generic middleware

component that is deployed across the system:

1. Middleware management console

A middleware management console is a single pane of glass

that captures a bird’s eye view of the middleware
architecture. This is especially important with enterprise
application middleware, designed and implemented
specifically with an organization’s business requirements in
mind. This console provides an overview of events and
activities, transactions, configuration management, and
contract rules.

2. Common messaging framework

Middleware requires messaging services to communicate

with services, applications, and platforms. Most of these
frameworks rely on existing standards such as simple object
access protocol (SOAP), representational state transfer
(REST), or Javascript object notation (JSON). This framework
needs to be carefully crafted, keeping in mind existing and
predicted features. The communication itself happens
through web services or application programming interfaces
(APIs). APIs and web services use standards such as JSON to
receive, send, and transfer information among the various
layers.

3. Client interface (or application interface)

This is the interface that the middleware exposes to the client

or application services. It allows applications to use
predefined constructs to initiate a transaction involving the
database, platform, or other backend servers. This
component simplifies application development and
deployment, one of the biggest benefits of using any
middleware solution.

4. Middleware internal interface

This is the interface through which middleware instances

communicate with each other to maintain the overall
middleware structure. This component is required because
various middleware instances must work together internally
to appear as a single continuous layer. This is usually done
using a special protocol defined by the middleware, which
doesn’t overlap with other communication protocols.

5. Platform interface

Middleware needs to work across multiple platforms,

irrespective of where it resides. This is the interface that is in
direct contact with the backend servers. Every time a new
platform is introduced, say by the cloud provider, this
interface needs to be updated to support it. All other
components of the middleware remain relatively unchanged.

6. Contract manager

A contract manager is the enforcer of various rules imposed

by each application, data control, and server. All lines of
communication and event initiation must follow these
contracts to ensure transparency and minimize breakage.
The contract manager makes sure business logic remains
intact and is valid. All contract breaches are thrown back to
the application, ensuring that the entire system does not go
down because of them.

7. Session manager

The session manager ensures that all communication and

transaction requests are valid and have not timed out. It
establishes the connections, to begin with, allowing requests
to flow back and forth. It also manages the session history for
audit purposes. A session manager is one way of ensuring
that the middleware is secure.

8. Database manager (if required)

The database manager controls connections to the database,

changing addition, modification, and deletion of data based
on the DB service used. Since this vastly varies on the type of
database used (file-based or table-based), where it resides
(internal data center or cloud), and how sensitive the data is,
security is an important consideration for this component.

9. Runtime monitor

The runtime monitor keeps an eye on all contract validations,

session history, requests, and responses. It is used by IT
admin and security teams to detect and flag any anomalous
activity. It also usually provides the base for reporting
engines that churn out audit reports for compliance purposes.

Besides these, each type of middleware may require unique

services to fulfill its requirements. A device middleware
concentrates on the particular device it caters to. Each of
these components is designed and built with a varying focus
based on the type. Message-oriented middleware needs a
robust common messaging framework, while the database
manager is not required to function.

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Benefits for Enterprises

Large enterprises usually boast of complex operations and
provide multiple services to clients from different industries.
If an enterprise has acquired several smaller ventures, it
might have pockets of infrastructure and operations that vary
from its big picture. Even for smaller enterprises that are
looking to expand, flexibility is the key to innovation.
Middleware comes into play in each of these scenarios.
 Middleware Benefits

The various benefits of middleware for enterprises are:

1. Ensures longevity of legacy investments

Legacy systems are tested, time-withstanding parts of the
infrastructure that a company relies on. Most companies
cannot afford to completely shake up their system and
replace legacy ones with new technology. If an enterprise is
planning to slowly phase out its legacy systems or add new
features, middleware is the easiest, ideal, and most
inexpensive option available.

2. Allows hassle-free scaling

Middleware allows enterprise-level scaling without disturbing

the status quo. When application traffic spikes, enterprise
middleware can distribute client requests across multiple
servers. Middleware follows a component-based approach,
making it easy to fit and run pieces as necessary. Most types
of middleware work on a predetermined topography and
strategy, thereby ensuring that scaling is a hassle-free
process.

3. Cuts costs

Middleware cuts costs on multiple fronts. It facilitates cost-

effective development and runs applications at scale. It also
lowers integration costs when new updates and technologies
come up. Maintenance costs are considerably reduced when
teams do not have to deal with giant monoliths.

4. Fosters innovation

Middleware gives the illusion of plug-and-play whenever new

technologies come in. This means that companies can churn
out new, advanced features faster than before. It also makes
development and deployment time-effective. This allows
developers to try out new applications much quicker before
releasing them into the market. Middleware makes the
integration of new systems with existing infrastructure
effortless.
5. Manages complexity

The main goal of any middleware is to disguise a distributed

system and create the illusion of a homogenous system for
developers and users alike. It provides developers with a
uniform interface to support application development and
integration. Middleware provides general-purpose services
and common programming abstractions that prevent
duplication.

6. Automates business processes

Middleware helps automate business processes by tying

together various pieces of business operations with
predetermined protocols and controls. It also helps
developers and business leaders automate manual decisions
by providing insights. Middleware simplifies and standardizes
connectivity.

In today’s landscape, enterprises need middleware to

survive. Introducing enterprise application middleware into
existing infrastructure is a structured activity that needs to
be planned with all the stakeholders involved. Most
middleware, especially when connecting
to SaaS and PaaS services, comes with the service itself. In
fact, most organizations nowadays are already using
middleware, whether they are aware of it or not.

Top 8 Best Practices for Implementing and Managing

Middleware in 2021
Middleware makes integration between components seem
simple because of how distributed the middleware
architecture itself is. It keeps data flowing from one point to
another. Thus, if any part of the middleware breaks down or
isn’t updated, important parts of the system may also go
down. Keeping this in mind, here are the top eight best
practices for implementing and managing middleware.

Middleware Implementation Best Practices

1. Implement appropriate security measures

All sorts of communication run through middleware, making it

an ideal target for cybercriminals. For every type of
middleware used, appropriate security measures must be
implemented. If a vendor provides the middleware, it must be
a part of the service level agreement (SLA). For example,
secure data passing through web servers cannot be
compromised, or user data may be leaked. Message
encryption is mandatory in the case of message-oriented
middleware so that interception will not lead to a security
threat. In the case of application servers, access and
authentication systems must be in place.

2. Build a scaling strategy at the beginning

A scaling strategy typically consists of protocols that define

parameters to be controlled while scaling in or scaling out.
These rules must be customizable since middleware must be
flexible enough to work with different applications and
platforms. When using the cloud, these are provided by the
vendors. The scaling strategy is tightly coupled with the
internal architecture of each middleware component. This
means that it must be done at the very beginning, keeping all
stakeholders in the loop.

3. Don’t go back to default configuration with ‘out of the box’ middleware

When using middleware offered by a third party, it is

necessary to remember that it is often configured for the
ease of developers. This means that while it enables
programmers to write and ship code as quickly as possible, it
isn’t exactly production box-friendly. The production box is
the environment directly accessed by users, clients, and
dependent apps. As such, these configurations must be
tweaked, keeping high availability, scalability, performance,
and security in mind.
4. Ensure auditing & logging functions satisfy compliance requirements

All middleware used within the system must be audit-friendly.

This means that all activities and events that go through the
middleware must be logged. Comprehensive and readable
reports must be retrievable based on these logs. This will
ensure stress-free compliance audits.

5. Automate wherever possible

Middleware instances can be replicated with just the bare

minimum changes based on the application it is working with.
This makes well-built middleware software the perfect
candidate for automation. Scripts need to be made for the
creation, modification, and even rollback of middleware
environments. By streamlining and automating the system,
organizations can reduce human error, prevent duplication,
and increase agility.

6. Provide placeholders for new advancements

Placeholders must be logically arranged for different types of

applications, platforms, and data. These need to be grouped
based on the parameters required for each one. This
grouping informs developers which SaaS or cloud vendor
each middleware is compatible with. This must also be done
keeping future enhancements in mind.

7. Balance out completeness with complexity

While it is tempting to add middleware in every possible nook

of the system, it would also mean an extra step that all
communication or transaction must go through. This will
considerably slow down the system. It is important to
remember that completeness must not come at the cost of
user complexity.

8. Constantly monitor the middleware architecture

Once the middleware architecture has been designed, it must
be tested from end to end at scheduled intervals. What works
for one environment may cause problems for another. While
middleware doesn’t run applications by itself, it does act as a
tunnel through which all operations run. Besides testing, all
middleware must be monitored, preferably through a
comprehensive console.

See More: Top 10 Challenges of Using Microservices for

Managing Distributed Systems

Takeaway

The global middleware market size is projected to reach Opens a new window

$8,400 million in 2025 and for good reasons. While designing

architecture from scratch, or even during a rehaul, it makes
sense to design for middleware requirements as well. After
all, coping with the latest in tech may be the difference
between a thriving and graying enterprise.

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