Web Services Platform Elements

Web Services have three basic platform elements: SOAP, WSDL and UDDI.

What is SOAP?
SOAP is a simple XML-based protocol to let applications exchange information over HTTP.
In simple: SOAP is a protocol for accessing a Web Service.

• SOAP stands for Simple Object Access Protocol
• SOAP is a communication protocol
• SOAP is a format for sending messages
• SOAP is designed to communicate via Internet
• SOAP is platform independent
• SOAP is language independent
• SOAP is based on XML
• SOAP is simple and extensible
• SOAP allows you to get around firewalls
• SOAP is a W3C standard

What is WSDL?
WSDL is an XML-based language for describing Web services and how to access them.

• WSDL stands for Web Services Description Language
• WSDL is based on XML
• WSDL is used to describe Web services
• WSDL is also used to locate Web services
• WSDL is a W3C standard

What is UDDI?
UDDI is a directory service where businesses can register and search for Web services.

• UDDI stands for Universal Description, Discovery and Integration
• UDDI is a directory for storing information about web services
• UDDI is a directory of web service interfaces described by WSDL
• UDDI communicates via SOAP
• UDDI is built into the Microsoft .NET platform

Introduction to Web Services

Web Services can convert your applications into Web-applications.

Web Services are published, found, and used through the Web.

What are Web Services?

• Web services are application components
• Web services communicate using open protocols
• Web services are self-contained and self-describing
• Web services can be discovered using UDDI
• Web services can be used by other applications
• XML is the basis for Web services

The basic Web services platform is XML + HTTP.

The HTTP protocol is the most used Internet protocol.

XML provides a language which can be used between different platforms and programming languages and still express complex messages and functions.

Web services platform elements:

• SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)
• UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration)
• WSDL (Web Services Description Language)

The Future of Web services

The Web Services platform is a simple, interoperable, messaging framework. It still misses many important features like security and routing. But, these features will be available as soon as SOAP becomes more advanced.

Hopefully, Web services can make it much easier for applications to communicate.