Middleware

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What Does Middleware Mean?

Middleware is a software layer situated between applications and operating systems. Middleware is typically used in distributed systems where it simplifies software development by doing the following:

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  • Hides the intricacies of distributed applications
  • Hides the heterogeneity of hardware, operating systems and protocols
  • Provides uniform and high-level interfaces used to make interoperable, reusable and portable applications
  • Provides a set of common services that minimizes duplication of efforts and enhances collaboration between applications

Techopedia Explains Middleware

Middleware is similar to an operating system because it can support other application programs, provide controlled interaction, prevent interference between computations and facilitate interaction between computations on different computers via network communication services.

A typical operating system provides an application programming interface (API) for programs to utilize underlying hardware features. Middleware, however, provides an API for utilizing underlying operating system features.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.