(mid´&l-wār)
(n.) Software that connects two otherwise separate
applications. For example, there are a number of middleware products that link a
database system to a
Web server. This allows
users to request data from the
database using
forms displayed on a
Web browser, and it enables the Web server to return
dynamic Web pages based on the user's requests and profile.
The term middleware is used to describe separate products that serve as the glue between two applications. It is, therefore, distinct from import and export features that may be built into one of the applications. Middleware is sometimes called plumbing because it connects two sides of an application and passes data between them. Common middleware categories include:
