Most modern business systems include independent applications that exchange information with each other-a technique usually called enterprise integration. An architectural approach called the Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) offers developers a way to handle the messages between those independent applications without creating a lot of custom code. While commercial ESB solutions can be quite expensive to implement and maintain, a set of high-quality open source ESB tools offer the same functionality at a substantially lower cost.

Open Source ESBs in Action shows you how to implement and use two open source ESB implementations: Mule and ServiceMix. The authors introduce you to these freely-available ESB tools and present practical examples of how to use them in real-world scenarios. You will learn how the various features of an ESB such as transformation, routing, security, connectivity and more can be implemented using Mule and ServiceMix. You will also learn how to solve common enterprise integration problems using a structured approach.

Beyond simply learning how Mule and Service Mix work, you'll learn the core techniques of ESB implementation such as Process Choreography, or the implementation of complex business processes through an ESB, and Service Orchestration, or exposing a set of services as a single service. The book shows you the fundamentals of ESB-based event processing and Quality of Service concerns like security, reliable delivery, and transaction management.

Working in integration projects is exciting, with new technologies and paradigms arriving every day. Open Source technologies like Mule and ServiceMix both offer lower-cost solutions and a higher degree of innovation than commercial ESB implementations. Open Source ESBs in Action will help you master ESB-driven integration techniques quickly and will provide you with knowledge you need to work effectively with Mule and ServiceMix.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 4 Ratings

Excellent resource for selecting between OS ESBs and learning them - 2008-11-20
Reviewer Rating:
This book has helped me a great deal in selecting which ESB we should use. The intro sections are excellent for this purpose. The examples are mostly in mule and servicemix but a number of other ESBs are covered in both summary form and in examples that proves to be highly valuable when formulating your selection.

The other related plus point is that the authors provide you with a view into the roadmap of the ESBs (especially ServiceMix and Mule) so that you can see where they are going in the current beta releases. In a dynamic opensource base this is essential since things change so quickly and books become quickly out of date. The website also has useful material.

The same examples are given in mule and servicemix throughout the chapters and this helps you to think about how best you would use the technology and you can formulate conclusions like "AHAH...Mule requires me to import less ESB classes and stay decoupled from the ESB better", or "Servicemix requires less code to do this type of routing".

The source code for the examples is provided via a website complete with junit code and ant files to run them. This is excellent since it proves really easy to get some handson experience and (for example) see the differences in startup times and hotdeployment capabilities between the ESBs.

The other rather innovative addition is that it lets you download the ebook for free using a codewheel in the book. This proves useful for referencing material and answering those "what was the page that talked about X" questions you have while reading the book.

I hate to give a book 5 out of 5 but this is really very good for those just getting into ESBs and especially for people trying to decide which ESB to use.

Very nice - 2009-05-25
Reviewer Rating:
A good book. + I got the pdf version free.. So in case you are planning to buy only PDF version, you can put few bucks extra and get hard copy and soft copy too. I particularly wanted this for Mule.
*** However for mule I feel the mule source documentation and user guide (on mulesource.org) is also quite well (if u have read EAI book by Harpe and Woolf).. especially if you try out the examples on your own.

Great Service - 2009-04-17
Reviewer Rating:
Very easy order process, immediate response on receipt of order, immediate response on ship that day, received in short time with delivery estimates beaten.

In all a clean, concise, fast experience!

Good Book - 2008-11-13
Reviewer Rating:
Good Book but split between Mule and Service Mix does reduce its usefulness if you are just using one or the other. Good if you are evaluating one vs the other. Good examples and illustrations which I find very useful.

Browse Similar Topics

Top Level Categories:
Software Engineering

Sub-Categories:
Software Engineering > Architecture
Software Engineering > Open Source Development