HIGHLIGHT Mule in Action is a comprehensive tutorial that introduces the Mule ESB along with ESB development best practices. It's written for developers, architects, and IT managers to help them discover, evaluate, and make the most of Mule without getting kicked! DESCRIPTION Mule is the most widely used open source ESB--with millions of downloads-- providing an alternative to expensive commercial options. Mule in Action is a comprehensive tutorial designed for working Java developers. This authoritative book explores the architecture and the main features of version Mule 2 through numerous running examples. It starts with a quick overview of ESB technology and a bit of Mule history--including the key changes between Mule 1.x and Mule 2. Readers learn to configure Mule and then get straight to the good stuff--putting Mule to work. Because the core of an ESB system is handling message traffic, the book dives into the way Mule handles data with chapters on sending and receiving, routing, and transforming data. Next, it takes a close look at Mule's standard components and how you can roll out custom ones. The book closes with a set of chapters on the nuts and bolts of working with Mule. Readers can take Mule farther by learning techniques for testing, performance tuning, BPM orchestration, and even a touch of Groovy scripting. KEY POINTS * Expert authors have been working with Flex since first version * Comprehensive yet easy-to-follow * Numerous do-this-every-day examples * Aim is to get users ramped up and productive very quickly! * Makes the entry into using Flex fun, easy, and less scary MARKET INFORMATION The ESB--Enterprise Service Bus--approach to SOA is immensely popular because it solves many problems that cost developers hours of time. Mule is a free industrial-grade ESB product used by thousands of developers. There are no other similar books available on Mule.