LogicBlaze FUSE – Open Source SOA Platform

LogicBlaze, the company behind the (now Apache incubating) ServiceMix ESB and ActiveMQ messaging solution recently announced the availability of FUSE – an Open Source SOA Platform.  FUSE is centered on ServiceMix (which I posted on here), aggregating components from several open source projects:

• Apache Incubator’s ServiceMix ESB, providing the fundamental runtime fabric for SOA processes, and the point of integration SOA components.
• Apache Incubator’s ActiveMQ messaging system, for guaranteed reliable and high performance messaging, and connectivity to existing MOM solutions.
• Apache Derby database, for message persistence in ServiceMix and ActiveMQ.
• Apache jUDDI Directory Server, for service registry and lookup, enabling composite Web services.
• Apache Incubator’s Ode Orchestration engine, for orchestration of composite services through BPEL-defined processes.
• Jetty HTTP Server, for scalable Web 2.0 applications built on Ajax (Asynchronous Javascript and XML), with complete integration into the SOA framework.

For those that prefer pictures, click on the Illustration to see Logic Blaze’s depiction of FUSE:

FUSE is intriguing for several reasons:

• In FUSE, the ESB (ServiceMix) is migrating to its more natural role as the backbone for a SOA Platform and enterprise integration.  The ESB is critical, but not omnipotent.  This aligns with my ESB view.  FUSE might be the first, but not the only, ESB centered SOA Platform appearing in 2006.
• FUSE is standards based!
• FUSE is open source (Apache Software License 2.0).  However, FUSE is NOT “just another open source project”.  Winston DaMarrillo, Logic Blaze’s Executive Chairman, was the founder of Gluecode – which was acquired by IBM, and is now offered as Websphere Community Edition.  [FUSE will have a Gluecode — oops – IBM WAS CE distribution].
• FUSE is positioned to serve three (interconnected) areas: high volume integration, service-oriented solutions (composite and flow styles), and web 2.0 (rich interfaces (AJAX, Flex), mashups, LAMP).
• FUSE has a variety of support subscription levels, not just for production run-time, but also development support, and peer-to-peer interaction.  Developers with CORE subscriptions will even be able to deposit their integration code in the FUSE repository, for inclusion in future build testing.
• FUSE will be incorporating the Eclipse SOA Tools project in a future (1.5) release.  Until then, expect a lot of XML hacking.  While this isn’t optimal from a development perspective, better the team focused on delivering a solid run-time, rather than a pretty interface.
• FUSE is available for download now.

I will be testing FUSE (mostly ServiceMix, ActiveMQ and Ode) as part of my enterprise service bus ride series.  For more information on FUSE, check-out the whitepaper, or just start playing.  If you do take it for a spin – let me know what you think.