Definition
An ESB, or Enterprise Service Bus, is an integration layer that brokers communication between multiple systems. It accepts messages in one format, transforms them, routes them to the appropriate recipient, and handles rules and errors. Centralization makes connections easier to control in a complex environment, but it requires sound change management to prevent the bus from becoming a single bottleneck. In modern architectures, integration platforms, event queues, and cloud services perform some similar tasks. The technology’s name matters less than observability, security, versioning, and clear responsibility for the information flow. Explore Astrafox’s software and integration services.