In the world of software and technological transformation, there are stories that go beyond code — stories not born in the labs of large corporations, but from the collaboration of people who share the same vision.
OpenESB is one of those stories.
From community roots to enterprise leadership
It’s a story that began more than two decades ago as an open-source initiative within the Sun Microsystems ecosystem — a project that a group of engineers decided to keep alive because they believed in it and had a clear goal:
to make systems communicate, to connect ideas, teams, and opportunities.
The origins of an open idea
In the early 2000s, enterprise system integration was a complex and costly challenge. Each company had its own tools, its own languages — and above all, its own barriers. That was when the concept of ESB (Enterprise Service Bus) emerged: an architecture capable of interconnecting applications, processes, and services within a single logical infrastructure.
OpenESB was born in this context as an open-source implementation of the JBI (Java Business Integration) standard, promoted by Sun Microsystems and a group of visionary engineers who believed in interoperability as a driver of progress.
The project grew quickly, expanded across the international technical community, and became a reference in the field of enterprise integration.
From technical legacy to community momentum
In 2010, Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems and focused its efforts on its commercial product line, discontinuing support for OpenESB.
For many, that might have been the end — but for the community, it was just the beginning of a new chapter.Engineers, developers, consultants, and user companies who trusted the platform’s stability, flexibility, and transparency kept the project alive: they collected documentation, preserved the code, and extended compatibility.
For more than a decade, OpenESB evolved thanks to this collective effort.
Paul Pérez, one of the lead engineers of the project and OpenESB trainer at VICO OPEN Academy, along with other members of the community, worked voluntarily to update versions, fix issues, and adapt the software to new technological environments.
Their commitment ensured that OpenESB remained a solid alternative to more expensive proprietary solutions.
“OpenESB survived thanks to the passion of a community that refused to give up on interoperability or technological freedom,” explains Paul Pérez, Senior Integration Architect and one of the guardians of the original project.
A new chapter: OpenESB Enterprise
Today, that story continues. VICO OPEN Modeling, whose engineers were also active contributors to the original project, has now taken the lead OpenESB Enterprise, a professional, evolved version ready to meet the challenges of modern system integration..
The goal is not to reinvent the product but to consolidate its legacy and secure its future, providing expert support, technological evolution, and a clear roadmap that delivers stability for organizations that rely on this technology.
“It’s truly satisfying to see that a project born as an open initiative has now found a team with the capability and vision to make it grow,” says Paul Pérez.
“VICO OPEN Modeling brings continuity to the original philosophy of this project: keeping the best of what existed and building on it to create a sustainable future that guarantees interoperability across enterprise systems.”
Paul Pérez, Senior Integration Architect and one of the original guardians of OpenESB
OpenESB Enterprise: The new generation of enterprise integration
Thanks to VICO OPEN Modeling, OpenESB has evolved from an open-source project into a mature enterprise platform — with active support, regular updates, and new functionalities that address today’s integration challenges: orchestration, observability, security, and scalability.
- Compatibility with Java 21 (LTS)
- Advanced traceability and native observability with Elastic APM
- Integrated AI for process generation and optimization
- Updated and optimized IDE with Eclipse + Oxygen XML Editor
- Extended and modernized connectivity: REST, SOAP, JMS, JDBC, FTP, JSON/XSLT 3.0
- Scalability in hybrid and containerized environments (Docker/Kubernetes)
The journey continues with VICO OPEN Modeling. The journey of OpenESB continues with VICO OPEN Modeling — a demonstration that open ideas developed collaboratively can evolve, consolidate, and continue delivering value for decades when they find the right leadership.
Designed by engineers. For engineers. Perfected through experience and ready for the future. That’s OpenESB Enterprise today. If you want to connect your systems, orchestrate processes, and evolve toward an open architecture, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’ll be delighted to help you make the digital transformation of your organization a reality.
