In the context of microservices architecture, "smart pipes" and "dumb endpoints" refer to a design approach where the communication infrastructure (pipes) handles significant processing and logic, while the endpoints (services) are kept simple and perform minimal processing.
Example of "Smart Pipes" and "Dumb Endpoints"
Smart Pipes:
An example of "smart pipes" can be found in systems that use an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB). In this setup, the ESB is responsible for various tasks such as message routing, transformation, choreography, and applying business rules. The ESB acts as an intelligent intermediary that processes and manipulates messages before they reach their destination. This means that the endpoints (services) do not need to handle these tasks and can remain simple.
For instance, consider a scenario where multiple services need to communicate with each other. The ESB can:
Route messages to the appropriate service based on content or rules.
Transform message formats (e.g., from XML to JSON).
Apply business rules to ensure data consistency and integrity.
Handle error processing and retries.
In this case, the ESB is the "smart pipe" because it encapsulates significant logic and processing capabilities.
Dumb Endpoints:
In the same scenario, the services that receive messages from the ESB are considered "dumb endpoints." These services are designed to perform specific tasks without needing to understand the complexities of message routing, transformation, or business rules. They simply process the data they receive and perform their designated functions.
