middleware, computer software that enables communication between multiple software applications, possibly running on more than one machine.
Computer applications and websites frequently employ many different programs, often running on different computers, that need to work together. A user may interface with one program, manipulate data in another program, and query a database with yet another. What keeps all the programs working smoothly together is middleware. Any loss of communication among these components breaks the process, making middleware an important part of the chain.
WebSphere, a set of integration software produced by International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), is one of the most widely used middleware programs. Another familiar example of middleware is the application programming interface (API) used by the American social networking site Facebook. Facebook’s API enables its applications, as well as third-party applications, to communicate with the user and Facebook’s servers. In addition, e-commerce websites, such as Amazon, make heavy use of middleware, though mostly hidden behind the scenes.
Middleware has spread beyond the Web and enterprise computing to be used with mobile devices, such as for e-mail sent to or from smartphones or tablet computers. As the Internet and multimedia have been further integrated into mobile devices, the use of middleware has increased.