Accessing services provided by computing devices in a network

A service providing device, comprising:

• a processing subsystem;
• and
• a memory subsystem;
• wherein the processing subsystem executes a dispatcher application, causing the processing subsystem to perform operations for:
• determining that an application executed by the processing subsystem has commenced providing a service;
• registering the service with a service list device;
• and
• providing access to the service to one or more service requesting devices on behalf of the application.

A method for accessing a service by a service requesting device, comprising:

• in a processing subsystem, performing operations for a forwarder application, the operations comprising:
• determining that an application executed by the processing subsystem is to access a service;
• when an identification of one or more service providing devices that provide the service is included in a local cache in a memory subsystem in the service requesting device, acquiring the identification of the one or more service providing devices from the local cache;
• otherwise, acquiring, from a service list device, the identification of one or more service providing devices that provide the service, wherein the identification includes identification of one or more service providing devices that registered with the service list device as providing the service;
• and
• based on the identification of the one or more service providing devices, accessing the service on behalf of the application from a selected service providing device that is selected from among the one or more service providing devices, the accessing comprising interacting with a dispatcher application executed by the service provider device.

A method for providing a service by a service providing device, comprising:

• in a processing subsystem, performing operations for a dispatcher application, the operations comprising:
• determining that an application executed by the processing subsystem has commenced providing a service;
• registering the service with a service list device, the registering comprising sending a registration message to the service list device that is configured to cause the service list device to add an identification of the service providing device as providing the service to a record in the service list device;
• and
• providing access to the service to one or more service requesting devices on behalf of the application, the providing comprising interacting with a corresponding forwarder application executed by each service requesting device.