Best Message Oriented Middleware (MOM) Solutions

Below are some of the main features of message-oriented middleware:

• Asynchronous messaging: With this feature, message queues are temporarily stored when a destination program is disconnected or busy. Most asynchronized systems guarantee persistent storage for backing up message queues, which allows senders and receivers to connect to the networks at different times if needed. It also solves problems that may arise from intermittent connectivity.
• Routing: Many MOM systems depend on message queues. When implemented, some permit routing logic to be supplied by the messaging layer itself. In contrast, others rely on client applications to provide routing information and some require a mix of both paradigms.
• Transformation: MOM systems with built-in intelligence can transform messages and route them to match the requirements of the recipient or the sender. (The final message received at a destination isn't always identical with the message that was originally sent.) In addition, many MOM systems have sophisticated message transformation tools, permitting programmers to specify rules for simple GUI operations that are drag-and-drop.
• Other additional features worth considering when you choose a MOM system include: Unified messaging, dynamic scaling, provisioning and monitoring, management and control tools, flexible service quality, secure communication, and integration with other tools.

1. Application-specific middleware includes services for different classes of applications, such as specialized services for mobile computing and multimedia, distributed database services, and distributed data/object transaction processing. 
2. Information-exchange middleware manages the exchange of information across a network. It handles tasks like issuing commands, transferring data, receiving responses, and/or checking statuses as well as resolving deadlocks. 
3. Management and support middleware is a type of middleware that can locate resources, handle security and failures, monitor performance, and communicate with servers. 

Message-oriented communication refers to a form of communication in which messages are created, sent, received, or read within a distributed enterprise system. Message-oriented communication can be segmented into four types of communication:

• Synchronous communication: The sender is blocked until its message is stored in a local buffer at the receiver end or the message has been delivered.
• Asynchronous communication: The sender provides information, but there is a time lag before the recipient receives it and offers a response. The message is either stored in a local buffer or at the first communication server.
• Persistent communication: This involves a message that has been submitted and stored by the communication system for as long as it takes to deliver it to the receiver.
• Transient communication: Messages are stored as long as sending and receiving applications are running; The messages are discarded if the communication server cannot deliver the message to the destination server.

• Streamline business processes: For many businesses, MOM systems help organizations improve efficiency and also streamline many typical business processes.
• Wide array of software systems: Another advantage of using message-oriented middleware is that it accommodates a wide array of software systems, ranging from distributed objects and components to message-oriented communication, to mobile application support, and much more.
• Developer-friendly: MOMs help developers create various types of networked applications more easily.
• Robust to change: Another advantage of MOM systems is that applications existing on heterogeneous platforms can both communicate and interoperate transparently even if each of the applications operates independently of or asynchronously with others. In each case, programs are separately maintained but also individually replaceable.
• Time and location independence: Because MOM queues messages even when recipients are unavailable, neither the sender nor recipient are required to be online at the same time. In addition, message senders and recipients are decoupled using destinations and can therefore be migrated from computer to computer at runtime. Another benefit of location independence is that operations go on uninterrupted and you don’t risk bringing down the system when software and hardware are serviced.
• Scalability: MOM systems generally accommodate scaling well in respect to the number of receivers of a particular message. To clarify, if many clients generate requests and you only have one system to process them, you will be able to scale the order processing capacity by adding more machines that look at the same queue.
• Support of event-driven systems: Message-oriented middleware systems support the development of event-driven enterprise applications.
• Simple and easy-to-use: MOM systems are designed in a user-friendly way, making it easy for developers to work with and thus, helping boost productivity.

While there are many advantages of using message-oriented middleware, there are also disadvantages.

• MOMs require an extra architecture component: One primary disadvantage is that message-oriented middleware involves needing a message transfer agent or a message broker. When components are added to a system, it may lead to a reduction in performance, making the system more difficult and also more expensive to maintain. 
• Calling function: When a MOM system has a synchronous messaging system, the calling function can be problematic sometimes, as it does not return until the called function has completed its task. In contrast, an asynchronous system that is loosely coupled allows a calling client to continuously load work upon a recipient until all resources needed to handle a task are depleted and the called component fails. 
• High development costs: With steep development costs, not all businesses can afford to maintain a message-oriented middleware system. 
• Improved operations: A lot of MOM systems are still not fully developed for optimal operations and in some instances, it can jeopardize a system’s real-time performance.