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Discussion on: Explain Middleware like I'm five

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Jacob Herrington (he/him) • Edited

It's the stuff between the leftware and the rightware.

Actually, it's a pretty vague and broad definition.

Middleware is kind of like a translator or a mediator; it helps two or more "things" communicate with each other.

Sometimes we call it "glue code" because it usually connects two software projects that need to work together.

Some examples might include: a database and a web application, a network and a server, or an operating system and an application.

My analogy for a five year old: When you brush your teeth, your toothbrush is the middleware between the toothpaste and your teeth. We could just pour toothpaste in your mouth and call it done, but using a toothbrush is easier and very helpful.