Apache Camel is an open source integration platform.
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Software AG Universal Messaging
Score 6.8 out of 10
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Software AG Universal Messaging is presented as a single solution for high-performance, low-latency messaging across a wide array of delivery channels, including all mainstream enterprise, web and mobile platforms. The venodr states that for the enterprise, Software AG Universal Messaging delivers high throughput messaging for resilient, secure and highly scalable applications. For web and mobile, Software AG Universal Messaging was designed to provide real-time streaming to the edge of…
Message brokering across different systems, with transactionality and the ability to have fine tuned control over what happens using Java (or other languages), instead of a heavy, proprietary languages. One situation that it doesn't fit very well (as far as I have experienced) is when your workflow requires significant data mapping. While possible when using Java tooling, some other visual data mapping tools in other integration frameworks are easier to work with.
Software AG Universal Messaging is best used in conjunction with Software AG webMethods integration platform, as it works seamlessly with other components of that platform such as webMethods Integration Server and webMethods Trading Networks. It can be used with any messaging client developed in Java or .NET and supports JMS clients, however, it is best suited to being used as one component in an organization that is going to implement the entire webMethods platform to implement their Enterprise Service Bus integration solution.
Some of the documentation is a little sparse. In particular, its TCP-based routes use an underlying Netty server, and the interactions between Netty's decoder capabilities and Apache Camel's routing/handler capabilities can be a little muddy at times. In general it is clear which routes and endpoints are the more frequently used and which haven't been given as much attention.
Apache Camel has been the integration framework of choice, but I was not the person to make the decision to use it. Compared to other competing products like Tibco Business Works, etc., it is free and open source and its licensing policy is acceptable to the management of Cox.
Software AG Universal Messaging has excellent performance characteristics, a good high availability story, and works great when you are using the other products in the Software AG webMethods integration platform, as our organization is. It has relatively high licensing costs, which is a large negative when compared with open-source solutions such as Apache Kafka. However, Software AG provides good support services, and is a market leader in the integration space, giving some surety for risk-averse organizations that if something goes wrong we have a vendor we can rely on to help fix it.
Very fast time to market in that so many components are available to use immediately.
Error handling mechanisms and patterns of practice are robust and easy to use which in turn has made our application more robust from the start, so fewer bugs.
However, testing and debugging routes is more challenging than working is standard Java so that takes more time (less time than writing the components from scratch).
Most people don't know Camel coming in and many junior developers find it overwhelming and are not enthusiastic to learn it. So finding people that want to develop/maintain it is a challenge.
