Enterprise Service Bus
An Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) is a middleware software architecture that enables communication and integration between disparate applications and services across an enterprise. It acts as a central hub that routes messages, transforms data formats, and manages service orchestration, facilitating a service-oriented architecture (SOA). ESBs provide features like message queuing, protocol mediation, and security to decouple systems and streamline enterprise integration.
Developers should learn and use ESBs when building or maintaining large-scale enterprise systems that require seamless integration of heterogeneous applications, such as legacy systems, cloud services, and modern microservices. It is particularly valuable in scenarios involving complex data transformations, high-volume message routing, or when implementing a standardized communication layer to reduce point-to-point connections and improve system maintainability.