Managing messages sent between services

A system comprising:

• system software stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium for execution by at least one processor, the system software configured to cause:
• providing, at an integration bus, a registry of a plurality of service definitions, each service definition describing a respective set of properties for accessing a respective one of a plurality of external services situated external to the integration bus, the set of properties comprising at least an identification of an external service, a syntax associated with the external service, a description of at least one interface for interacting with the external service using a message flow, authentication information, a mode of message delivery, a window of time during which messages are accepted, and a rule to modify invocation of a service;
• processing, at the integration bus, first application-level messages received at the integration bus from a requesting application for delivery to a provider application of a first one of the external services, the processing of a first application-level message comprising processing information regarding the first application-level message, the information comprising a message header of the first application-level message, the message header comprising a message identifier of the first application-level message;
• sending, at the integration bus and using the set of properties described by a service definition for accessing the first external service, the first application-level messages to the provider application of the first external service;
• processing, at the integration bus, second application-level messages received at the integration bus from the provider application of the first external service;
• and
• sending, at the integration bus, a response message based on at least one of the second application-level messages to the requesting application.

A computer program product comprising program code to be executed by at least one processor when retrieved from a non-transitory data storage medium, the program code comprising instructions configured to cause:

• providing, at an integration bus, a registry of a plurality of service definitions, each service definition describing a respective set of properties for accessing a respective one of a plurality of external services situated external to the integration bus, the set of properties comprising at least an identification of an external service, a syntax associated with the external service, a description of at least one interface for interacting with the external service using a message flow, authentication information, a mode of message delivery, a window of time during which messages are accepted, a and a rule to modify invocation of a service;
• processing, at the integration bus, first application-level messages received at the integration bus from a requesting application for delivery to a provider application of a first one of the external services, the processing of a first application-level message comprising processing information regarding the first application-level message, the information comprising a message header of the first application-level message, the message header comprising a message identifier of the first application-level message;
• sending, at the integration bus and using the set of properties described by a service definition for accessing the first external service, the first application-level messages to the provider application of the first external service;
• processing, at the integration bus, second application-level messages received at the integration bus from the provider application of the first external service;
• and
• sending, at the integration bus, a response message based on at least one of the second application-level messages to the requesting application.