“Middleware applies to a software layer that delivers a programming abstraction and masks the heterogeneity of the underlying networks, operating systems, hardware, and programming languages” While “a Distributed system is a bunch of computers which emerge to the users as independent computers despite which are linked together to correspond and communicate by exchanging message”
So according to the description of Distributed systems, middleware is an essential component.
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Role of Middleware:
Middleware is software that is created to serve as a communication bridge between distributed applications and platforms as illustrated in the following figure:
- There is a specific bunch of roles that middleware brings out such as it contains the distributed complexion of a system from the users. In other words, the middleware is capable to hold the system functional in numerous (distributed) areas but doesn’t often show details that it is part of a complex system. These details would be programming codes.
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- The middleware has the role to hold the heterogeneous environment of distributed systems. The word heterogeneity refers to how users can access and utilize distributed applications via a range of devices and networks. While middleware doesn’t handle every particular node. This heterogeneity involves a network, hardware, software, and programming languages.
- Through the help of middleware, we can facilitate heterogeneity.
- Middleware may even deliver additional services, such as load management, authentication/authorization, directory, statistics, audit/logging, and some of these (e.g., directory) are usually integral components that aid the middleware itself do its job.
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