- A message is a string of bytes which has a meaningful usage in applications

- Messages are utilized to transfer information across applications

- The applications can run on the same or on different platforms

Websphere MQ messages contain:

- Application data: The application’s content and data is defined by the application programs which uses it.

- Message Descriptor: The message is identified by the message descriptor and contains additional control information, like the type of message and priority assigned to the message