An alternative approach for XML messaging

Messaging has become a vital part of communication between applications, especially with the wide popularity of web service standards. Data format used to represent information is an important concern in messaging. eXtensible Markup Language (XML), being the default and universal format for structured data, is currently being used as the data format for messaging as well. Traditional networking arena is undergoing a paradigm shift due to the proliferation of wireless mobile devices/networks. When there are devices with constrained resources, the traditional networks have to adopt to the features of the resource constrained networks (RCNs). Demand for resource conservation, which cannot be met with the XML format because of its inherent limitations when used in RCNs give rise to the research into alternative mechanisms. In this paper a format called as Thinned YAML (TYAML) which causes reduction in verbosity based on the YAML Ain\'t Markup Language (YAML) format is presented. The TYAML format is equipped with message level security also. It is observed that the secure versions of TYAML maintain its less verbose nature in comparison with the XML formats. As security protocols consume considerable resources, the application of lightweight algorithms is of particular interest in RCNs. So TYAML specifications are enhanced to make them compatible with Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) based algorithms. To make TYAML tamper proof while in transit (rewriting attack), a layered mechanism is also proposed. Experiments show clear performance advantages for the proposed structures over the existing formats.