A method for routing messages produced on layer 7 in a unique format on the basis of a protocol facilitating interoperability between various applications (SOAP) implemented in a distributed network comprising at least one capacity-constrained sub-network (102a to 102c), a plurality of routers (101a to 101g) routing such messages in said network and at least one pair of transfer gateways (103a, 103b, 103c, 103c'), a first gateway of said pair being provided to process messages entering a constrained sub-network, the second gateway of said pair being provided to process messages exiting said sub-network, said process including addressing and adapting to the specific protocol of the considered constrained sub-network, one of said routers (101a to 101g) comprising three interfaces with application layer 7: • a first affiliation interface I AFF allowing an application to request the recording of its location in relation to the network; • a second interface IRES allowing a source to establish a session to transmit a stream of messages requiring a particular quality of service; • a third interface IMSG allowing a source to provide a message to distribute to recipients specified in the message; said router (101a to 101g) further comprising a routing module receiving said messages, a location and routing module LOC updated by virtue of location messages transmitted by the user applications of said network and received by I AFF, said messages notifying said module LOC of the attachment and detachment of the applications to/from this router so that said module LOC can construct the instantaneous topology of the network by cross-checking its local knowledge with the knowledge that it has of the other modules LOC of the other routers deployed on the network; said method comprising at least the following steps, implemented in said router (101a to 101g): a) receiving one of said messages via the interface I MSG; b) said routing module requesting, for said message, that said LOC module identifies the next routers (101a to 101g) to be reached in order to route the message towards its one or more recipients; c) said routing module identifying, for said message, and implementing the transmission quality of service required for the message via the analysis of the content of said message by marking the transfer priority of said message, said priority corresponding to the identified quality of service requirements; d) said routing module adapting, when the next hop transmits a message towards a constrained sub-network, the content of the message in order to pass through a constrained sub-network (102a to 102c), said adaptations being determined as a function of the capacities of the constrained sub-network and of the content of the message; e) said adaptation step comprising the following sub-steps: • a sub-step of compressing said content of the message; • a sub-step of determining attachments to said message that must be deleted on the basis of the size of said attachments; • a sub-step of transferring said message with its parameters, including the address of a transfer gateway being provided in order to process the messages leaving the constrained sub-network, towards a transfer gateway that is provided to process the messages entering the constrained sub-network. • a first affiliation interface I AFF allowing an application to request the recording of its location in relation to the network; • a second interface IRES allowing a source to establish a session to transmit a stream of messages requiring a particular quality of service; • a third interface IMSG allowing a source to provide a message to distribute to recipients specified in the message; a) receiving one of said messages via the interface I MSG; b) said routing module requesting, for said message, that said LOC module identifies the next routers (101a to 101g) to be reached in order to route the message towards its one or more recipients; c) said routing module identifying, for said message, and implementing the transmission quality of service required for the message via the analysis of the content of said message by marking the transfer priority of said message, said priority corresponding to the identified quality of service requirements; d) said routing module adapting, when the next hop transmits a message towards a constrained sub-network, the content of the message in order to pass through a constrained sub-network (102a to 102c), said adaptations being determined as a function of the capacities of the constrained sub-network and of the content of the message; e) said adaptation step comprising the following sub-steps: • a sub-step of compressing said content of the message; • a sub-step of determining attachments to said message that must be deleted on the basis of the size of said attachments; • a sub-step of transferring said message with its parameters, including the address of a transfer gateway being provided in order to process the messages leaving the constrained sub-network, towards a transfer gateway that is provided to process the messages entering the constrained sub-network. • a sub-step of compressing said content of the message; • a sub-step of determining attachments to said message that must be deleted on the basis of the size of said attachments; • a sub-step of transferring said message with its parameters, including the address of a transfer gateway being provided in order to process the messages leaving the constrained sub-network, towards a transfer gateway that is provided to process the messages entering the constrained sub-network.