An executable choreography framework for dynamic service-oriented architectures

Interoperability and loose coupling requirements are pushing the next generation of distributed applications towards more decentralized and more dynamic interaction schemes, which the classic request/response communication paradigm can hardly accommodate. Hence, sound foundations and mechanisms for the establishment of unanticipated peer-to-peer interactions across organizational boundaries are of significant importance to upcoming middleware platforms. The Executable Choreography Framework (ECF) is a middleware-level framework that targets dynamic and decentralized service compositions. The ECF combines transparent context propagation with aspect-oriented software composition techniques to dynamically refine the default control and data flow of service invocations. The framework provides a ground for experimentation with dynamic and distributed workflows, and a base to assess their safety and applicability when deployed across organizational boundaries.