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Globally, there are more than 700 computer languages. Python, Java, JavaScript, and C# are currently the top four programming languages. In the mobile application development world, new languages like Kotlin and Swift are gaining in popularity. One thing is sure—current popular programming languages won’t stay that way forever. As software developers see the benefits of new languages or the danger of languages that aren’t supported by a community, they’ll stop building apps in unpopular languages.
On top of new languages, some old languages may still exist if good substitutes have never been found. For example, COBOL, or common business-oriented language, created in 1959 by the U.S. Department of Defense, is still in use today. Although it represents only 0.8% of the market share, it remains vital in key industries like banking, finance, government, and insurance. Because of this, new software systems have to continue to find a way to interface with this 60-year-old language.
Science fiction is full of examples of universal translators. With thousands of alien languages, one tap on the device allows any species to speak and understand each other regardless of their native tongue. Universal translators would be the perfect solution to sit between the hundreds of computer languages in use today. They’d make it much easier for computer systems to talk to each other. Unfortunately, universal translators aren’t real, but middleware is.
What is the Purpose of Middleware?
Programming languages have rules, but they have to be flexible enough to let developers solve any problem that’s thrown at them. No two problems will be solved the same way in the same language, and a developer may not even solve a problem the same way twice.
Consider also that each application integration might ask for different information. One may require a first and last name, plus an email address. Another may only ask for an email address. Even if the databases are written in the same programming language, combining the two different databases won’t be as simple as plugging two forms together.
You need middleware if you want to mutate, transform, or validate data. That’s what middleware is—a data bridge that connects front-end and back-end systems or systems to other systems.
Think about how many different software applications are involved in an online purchase. As you search through a company’s catalog (1), it provides you with real-time information on its inventory (2). Then you move an item to a shopping cart (3) and pay for it with a credit card (4). The company sends you an email (5) to confirm your purchase and the shipping company (6) lets you track your package’s location. Each of these six interactions requires a piece of middleware to connect the different systems, web services, and enterprise applications.
Middleware sits in between distributed systems and translates data from one language or database to another. It’s the universal translator of the IT world.
What Are The Types of Middleware?
Message-oriented
Known as message-oriented middleware (MOM), this example of middleware is used when there’s a lot of communication between components and the data has to be sent to another component that will process the data.
Database
One of the most commonly known kinds of middleware, database middleware, offers front-end users direct access to some kind of database, most often SQL. Object-relational mapping (ORM, O/RM, and O/R mapping tool) is a common example of DB middleware. As a programming technique, it keeps data abstract and thus improves data security. ORM makes data more flexible, and easier to transfer back and forth between databases. In turn, that makes generic queries possible.
Application server
Situated between database servers that store application data and web servers that communicate with clients, application servers handle dynamic web server requests. Using one adds security and standardization to data transfers because application servers help enforce performance standards and expectations. Systems that transfer large amounts of asynchronous data, like high-volume transactions or ticketing platforms, will choose an application server as their middleware.
Transaction processing
Transaction processing monitors (TPMs) are the oldest examples of transaction processing. Placed between transactions, this middleware helps execute the steps of a transaction and reports where and when a failure occurs.
Application programming interface (API) middleware
Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) APIs are older and have more robust tools for developers to use, but can be more difficult for developers to learn. REpresentational State Transfer (REST) API has a simple structure that is popular for web and mobile applications. APIs make it easy for websites to use resources from around the internet, like adding a Google map to the front page or letting a customer log in with Facebook. These days middleware exists for the sole sake of API management.
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Should I Buy Middleware?
Cloud integration services, also known as Integration-as-a-Platform (iPaaS) are out-of-the-box solutions to connect systems and improve interoperability. DevOps teams can use them to quickly connect systems, deploying new software components without spending weeks or months writing custom code. An out-of-the-box solution could quickly connect your systems, but the decision to build custom middleware or buy a ready-made solution is a little more complex.
Zapier is a common Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution. It often serves as the middle layer between databases and websites, and it can connect more than 4,000 different applications and microservices. It even works across Mac, Linux, and Microsoft machines since it runs over the web. As an out-of-the-box solution, it offers companies the ability to send “zaps” from website forms to CRMs or to automate email responses to customers’ orders.
A crucial factor in the “build or buy” decision is how much data throughput the middleware will have. If you have DocuSign connected through Zapier to your CRM, and you only send a few signatures a month, implementing Zapier would make sense; however, if you have integrated Zapier to Slack and you’re sending and receiving 10,000 messages a week, you may want to reconsider since out-of-the-box solutions charge in tiers. Enterprise services quickly creep in cost as you scale, so keep that in mind as you make your decision.
As your company sends more data through the middleware, it becomes more expensive. Buying integration middleware is possible if you’re connecting well-known applications, but if you have a custom application or older code, you will need to build at least part of the middleware.
Should I custom-build middleware?
As you put together business applications and estimate the amount of data you’ll be sending through your middleware software, here are some situations where custom-built solutions do make more sense.
Integrating with older code or legacy systems
With fewer developers trained in older languages, chances are slim that existing middleware works to connect older code with your newer business system. If your business is trying to communicate with a government or bank system that runs on COBOL, custom middleware may be your only option to integrate with them.
Data integration with custom software
Zapier is popular because it’s the bridge between well-known software systems. If either one of the two (or more) systems that you’re integrating is a custom-designed system, it’s unlikely that there will be sufficient documentation or an API key to connect the systems.
Integrating with a closed-source system
Open-source platforms are generous about sharing their APIs to make it easier to connect systems, but there are closed-source systems like Shopify that don’t give their users access to the internal source code. An enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform also won’t give you internal source code. Even though you can’t access ERP internal code or Shopify code, you can still combine the data via a middleware system.
Integrating with heavy-data use
Depending on how much data needs to be exchanged, it may make more financial sense to invest in your middleware and stop paying a subscription fee. Building your own middleware is the right choice if you’d rather not be tied to a subscription plan that only grows more expensive as your business scales up.
Integrating with a niche issue
As you use middleware, what information do you need to send through it? If you run into a problem that requires multiple solutions, or if the problem is more difficult or specialized, a custom-made solution may be your only option.
If you’re debating whether you should integrate systems, consider that companies with siloed data structures cannot make data-driven decisions. By the time business analysts have gathered together all of the company data across company databases, the data is no longer fresh. Better data management options start by connecting applications through middleware. That guarantees that the freshest data is at a company’s fingertips.
Bridging the Programming Gap
Middleware reduces the need to write very niche and specific code. Since it’s a group of functionalities and not an API, it can modify and process a larger amount of code. Even as operating systems become more standardized and drag-and-drop coding becomes more common, the middleware will continue to be the bridge that connects the systems.
As the “universal translator” in the IT world, middleware transforms data in any one of the 700 programming languages into a language that other systems can understand. Since flexibility in programming languages lets developers solve nearly every problem they encounter, middleware isn’t going anywhere. It’s just going to become more valuable as technology integrates into every aspect of our lives.