Editing Message-oriented middleware (section)

{{Short description|Type of software or hardware infrastructure}}
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'''Message-oriented middleware''' ('''MOM''') is software or hardware infrastructure supporting sending and receiving messages between distributed systems. Message-oriented middleware is in contrast to [[streaming-oriented middleware]] where data is communicated as a sequence of bytes with no explicit message boundaries. Note that streaming protocols are almost always built above protocols using discrete messages such as frames ([[Ethernet frame|Ethernet]]), datagrams ([[User Datagram Protocol|UDP]]), packets ([[Internet Protocol|IP]]), cells ([[Asynchronous Transfer Mode|ATM]]), et al. 

MOM allows [[modular programming|application modules]] to be distributed over heterogeneous platforms and reduces the complexity of developing applications that span multiple operating systems and network protocols. The [[middleware]] creates a distributed communications layer that insulates the application developer from the details of the various operating systems and network interfaces. Application programming interfaces ([[API]]s) that extend across diverse platforms and networks are typically provided by MOM.<ref>{{Cite Book|author=Curry, Edward |date=2004 |url=https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Middleware+for+Communications-p-9780470862063 |title=Message-Oriented Middleware}}. In Middleware for Communications, ed. Qusay H Mahmoud, 1-28. Chichester, England: John Wiley and Sons. {{doi|10.1002/0470862084.ch1}}. {{ISBN|978-0-470-86206-3}}</ref>

This middleware layer allows software components (applications, servlets, and other components) that have been developed independently and that run on different networked platforms to interact with one another. Applications distributed on different network nodes use the application interface to communicate. In addition, by providing an administrative interface, this new, virtual system of interconnected applications can be made fault tolerant and secure.<ref name="oracle">{{Cite book|title=Message Oriented Middleware |url=http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19340-01/820-6424/aeraq/}}</ref>

MOM provides software elements that reside in all communicating components of a client/server architecture and typically support asynchronous calls between the client and server applications. MOM reduces the involvement of application developers with the complexity of the master-slave nature of the client/server mechanism.