Routing algorithms for content-based publish/subscribe systems

In content-based publish/subscribe systems, messages target a dynamic group of participants whose expressed interests match the contents of the messages. In this generalization of multicasting communication, also dubbed content-based networking, naming, binding and communication are intertwined in the same substrate. Optimal content-based routing uses dissemination trees dynamically pruned to only cover the matching subscribers. It is a complex problem that has motivated significant research efforts. This paper presents a compilation of the main algorithms for routing messages in distributed content-based publish-subscribe systems proposed and published in the last decade. Discussion is focused on the content-based routing problem in respect to optimality, complexity and applicability. Moreover, whenever it is appropriate, the algorithms covered are also matched to similar algorithms familiar to the networking community, setting this paper apart from other surveys on the broad topic of publish/subscribe systems.