Middleware

Middleware is a type of computer software program that provides services to software applications beyond those available from the operating system. It can be described as "software glue".

Middleware makes it easier for software developers to implement communication and input/output, so they can focus on the specific purpose of their application. It gained popularity in the 1980s as a solution to the problem of how to link newer applications to older legacy systems, although the term had been in use since 1968.