Mastering Internet of Things

Understanding coupling

Application-layer interfaces can be either tightly coupled or loosely coupled. Applications using tightly coupled interfaces require previous knowledge about the detailed functionality of each other. This makes them deterministic and simple to implement and test, but also difficult to extend outside of the intended use cases.

Applications using loosely coupled interfaces on the other hand, avoid making assumptions about the capabilities of the other party. Instead, metadata is used to describe the capabilities, allowing each participant to discover the capabilities of the other. Implementing loosely coupled architectures is more demanding, but the results become more flexible. It's easier to extend and to maintain backwards ...