WSO2 releases Synapse-based open-source ESB

Open-source start-up WSO2 on Monday released an open-source enterprise service bus based on any Apache Synapse project.

Called WSO2 ESB, the server software is designed to integrate different applications by translating between different protocols and converting different XML formats.

The product is based on Synapse, an open-source ESB done at the Apache Foundation with the participation of WSO2 employees.

The company adds additional features on top of Synapse including a Web-based administration console and a registry and repository, said Paul Fremantle, WSO2 co-founder and its vice president of technical sales.

There are several open source ESB product in the marketplace, such as MuleSource, as well as those from entrenched integration vendors, such as IBM.

WSO2, which was started by IBM employees worked on Web services protocols, distinguishes itself from the competition by being very lightweight and designed for XML, said Fremantle.

"If you're pushing XML around your network and slowly moving to complete services oriented architecture for distributed applications, this is where the product is targeted," he said.

The company's revenue model is to provide services, come including installation and support for the product which is available under the Apache license.