************ Why Connext? ************ ROS 2 uses the `Data Distribution Service (DDS) `__ as its underlying communication middleware. ROS 2 shares many concepts with DDS, such as the following: * Both use a publish-subscribe communication model. * Nodes in ROS 2 are equivalent to |DPs| in DDS. * Messages in ROS 2 are equivalent to samples in DDS. This means a |CONNEXT| DDS application can interoperate with ROS 2 systems, bringing high performance and full access to DDS Quality of Service (QoS) settings and capabilities that are used in countless critical systems around the world. For an in-depth review of ROS 2, visit https://docs.ros.org/en/kilted/Concepts.html. Using |CONNEXT| as your ROS 2 middleware (RMW) layer allows you to use features unique to *Connext*, including the `RTI Security Plugins `_, `Real-Time WAN Transport `_, `Simple Participant Discovery 2.0 `_, `Admin Console `_, `Routing Service `_, and more. This document explains how ROS 2 and |CONNEXT| work together, the relationship between different ROS 2 distributions and |CONNEXT| versions, and the factors that influence compatibility: * :numref:`ros-connextrmw-install` and :numref:`ros-connextrmw-use` describe how to use ROS 2 with the |CONNEXT| RMW. * :numref:`getting-started-connext` and :numref:`enable-connext750-index` describe how to use |CONNEXT| standalone with ROS 2, regardless of the RMW that your ROS 2 application uses.