Explain the common technical complexities and patterns in integration development18% of the exam

Request-reply, one-way, multicast, batch and stream patterns

How the five interaction patterns differ: blocking request-reply, one-way messaging through a queue, multicast through an Anypoint MQ message exchange, Mule batch jobs for larger-than-memory record sets, and Mule 4 repeatable streams for large payloads.

Official exam objective
Describe the differences between the request-reply, one-way, multicast, batch, and stream interaction patterns.

~6 min read · 5 practice questions ·

What the exam expects

  • Recognize request-reply as the blocking pattern where the caller waits for the answer before it continues.
  • Recognize one-way (fire-and-forget) messaging through a queue, where sender and receiver never need to be present at the same time.
  • Distinguish multicast (one message to several receivers at once) from a single queue that delivers each message to one consumer.
  • Describe what a Mule Batch Job adds: record splitting, persistent queues, resumable processing and a results report.
  • Explain how Mule 4 streams large payloads with repeatable streams by default.

Key terms:

  • Request-reply: a synchronous, blocking call; the client waits for the server's response.
  • One-way: an asynchronous send; the sender continues without waiting for a reply.
  • Multicast: one published message delivered simultaneously to several receivers.
  • Batch: reliable, asynchronous processing of a large record set in phases.
  • Stream: content consumed incrementally instead of loaded whole, buffered so it can be reread.

Key facts

Synchronous model
Detail
Blocking; the client waits for the response
Queue consumption
Detail
Retrieved messages are locked and invisible to other consumers
Exchange limits
Detail
10 MB message; 450 bound queues; 25 with routing rules
Batch reliability
Detail
Persistent queues; resumes after a crash or redeployment
Batch edition
Detail
Enterprise Edition only, not the Mule kernel
Default stream strategy
Detail
File-stored repeatable (EE), 512 KB in memory first
Sources for this section (5)
  • Why can an app never consume directly from an Anypoint MQ message exchange?
  • When does an in-memory repeatable stream make the app fail?
  • What happens to a locked Anypoint MQ message whose consumer crashes?

The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.

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