Mule Galaxy - Open Source SOA
Mule Galaxy 1.5 is the latest version of an open source SOA governance platform from Mule Source which also features a repository. This results in extending its open source SOA middleware to enable custom extensions by adding a scripting shell. An event API has been introduced which would enable changes to services or artifacts to trigger an event by sending notifications or applying remote policies.
Improvements play an important role in every upgradation and Galaxy query language has been improved to support more sophisticated queries. Helping this is an auto upgrade capability which helps it upgrade from previous versions.
The new platform will also feature the following:
- Federation capabilities involving multiple instances of Galaxy.
- Remote workspaces being attached to a local instance of Galaxy.
- Instant browsing of other galaxies instantaneously.
- Replication across all galaxies.
- Enabling additional life-cycle management capabilities.
Basically, [Galaxy] makes services… available through kind of a subscription, like an RSS feed, and it allows you to define [service levels].
– David Rosenberg, Mule Source CEO.
In addition to this the company will also refresh its Mule Source open ESB (Enterprise Service Bus) and also offer Mule Saturn, a lightweight BAM (Business Activity Monitoring) tool that will work with ESB.
This is a great idea because the fact that its open source allows a lot more transparency into what the code is doing and how it is doing it. Governance will become increasingly important as the number of in-use services grows.
Galaxy also has some other advantages such as:
- Increases reuse.
- Lower application development costs.
- Improves Collaboration.
- Enables centralized control of policies and management.
The enterprise-level product features remote diagnostics, patch management, and provisioning via the MuleHQ tool as well as support for BPEL and streaming of very large files. Remote diagnostics capabilities allow Mule Source support personnel to assess a system.
Galaxy 1.5 is offered in a Community version and Enterprise edition, both. The benefit of an enterprise edition is that it offers a commercial license to relieve customers from obligations associated with General Public License version. It also features a performance warranty.
Mule 1.5 Enterprise and the beta version of Saturn are available at prices start $7,000 per year. Galaxy 1.0 Community, the untested version, will be offered initially for free. The supported Galaxy 1.0 Enterprise product expected in the second quarter will feature subscription support, but there are no price indications as yet.
Over all, Mule appears to be a promising product.