A JMS (Java Messaging Service) provider is an API that provides tools for creating, reading, sending, and performing many other messaging operations. A good use case of a JMS provider is sending messages from one application to another.
With JMS, there is the assurance that the message delivers. Also, the receiver does not have to send a request before they can get a response.
There are two models supported by JMS providers:
- Point-to-Point
- Publish-and-Subscribe
In a Point-to-Point model, the JMS message is delivered to only one receiver. The receiver reads the message from a queue in which the sender sends the message.
The Publish-and-Subscribe model works differently. The sender creates and publishes messages to Topics (which is the JMS Destination). The receiver would then subscribe to Topics it’s interested in to consume all the messages therein.
You can learn more about these models in this article.
There are many different open source JMS providers. But in this article, we’ll look at four popular open-source providers for your application.
1. Apache ActiveMQ
Apache ActiveMQ is a computer program module that translates a message from the formal messaging protocol of the sender to the formal messaging protocol of the receiver, thereby enhancing effective communication. The program is written in JAVA and it comes with a full JMS client.
ActiveMQ also enables data protection and load balancing when the load becomes too much. It also supports easy integration with other software and the deployment methods are flexible. You can learn more about Apache ActiveMQ in this well-documented article.
2. Apache Qpid
Apache Qpid is another open source JMS provider that creates messaging tools that work on many languages and platforms. These tools support AMQP which is a protocol used on the internet for sending and receiving messages across softwares.
Apache Qpid solves the complexities in effectively managing communication in several parts of a system, for instance, distributed network applications. It offers messaging APIs, message brokers and other core tools that makes AMQP integrated in your application. The APIs makes the process of managing communication across components seamless.
3. OpenJMS
OpenJMS is a very popular open-source JMS provider that supports both models of JMS – Point-to-Point and Publish-and-subscribe. It also contains many features such as:
- Authentication
- Support for TCP, RMI, HTTP, and SSL protocol stacks
- Support for large numbers of destinations and subscribers
- and many more.
4. RabbitMQ
RabbitMQ is an open-source message broker that translates messages from the sender’s protocol to the receiver’s protocol. RabbitMQ is lightweight and can be easily deployed on cloud services. The platform also offers tools for numerous programming languages, thereby breaking the limitation of focusing on one language.
With RabbitMQ, you get asynchronous messaging, management and monitoring, several tools and plugins that would solve most of your needs, and many more.
Conclusion
There are more different providers with various features, different learning curves, and different levels of configuration. In this article, we’ve looked at four popular JMS providers with different features that makes messaging integration easy and effective in your applications.
