What is Universal Message Format3?
Universal Message Format3 (UMF3) is an openstandard, JSONbased specification for encoding, transporting, and processing data across heterogeneous systems. It builds on the earlier versions of UMF by adding richer typing, versioning support, and a builtin security envelope. The format is intentionally lightweight, humanreadable, and extensible, making it suitable for everything from IoT telemetry to enterprisegrade event streams.
Core Concepts
- Envelope Every UMF3 payload is wrapped in an envelope that contains metadata such as
messageId,timestamp,version, and optional security fields. - Payload The actual business data. It can be any valid JSON value (object, array, string, number, boolean, or null).
- Schema Reference A URI or compact identifier that points to the JSONSchema that validates the payload.
- Versioning The
versionfield in the envelope enables graceful evolution of the message contract. - Security Optional fields for digital signatures (
signature) and encryption keys (encryptedKey) are defined, allowing endtoend integrity and confidentiality.
Message Structure
A minimal UMF3 document looks like the following:
{ "envelope": { "messageId": "d4f9c2e5-9a6b-4c2a-8e7d-3f5a1b6c9d0e", "timestamp": "2026-05-30T12:45:00Z", "version": "3.0", "schema": "urn:example:order:1.0" }, "payload": { "orderId": "ORD-1001", "customerId": "CUST-342", "items": [ { "sku": "ABC123", "qty": 2, "price": 9.99 }, { "sku": "XYZ789", "qty": 1, "price": 24.5 } ], "total": 44.48 }} When security is required, the envelope may contain a signature and an encryptedKey section:
{ "envelope": { "messageId": "...", "timestamp": "...", "version": "3