Web Services

Web Services can convert your application into a Web-application, which can publish its function or message to the rest of the world.
The basic Web Services platform is XML + HTTP.
Web Services can convert your applications into Web-applications.
Web Services are published, found, and used through the Web.
What You Should Already Know
Before you continue, you should have a basic understanding of the following:
HTML
XML

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
How Does it Work?
The basic Web services platform is XML + HTTP.
XML provides a language which can be used between different platforms and programming languages and still express complex messages and functions.
The HTTP protocol is the most used Internet protocol.
Web services platform elements:
SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)
UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration)
WSDL (Web Services Description Language)
Why Web Services?
A few years ago Web services were not fast enough to be interesting.
Interoperability has Highest Priority
When all major platforms could access the Web using Web browsers, different platforms could interact. For these platforms to work together, Web-applications were developed.
Web-applications are simple applications that run on the web. These are built around the Web browser standards and can be used by any browser on any platform.
Web Services take Web-applications to the Next Level
By using Web services, your application can publish its function or message to the rest of the world.
Web services use XML to code and to decode data, and SOAP to transport it (using open protocols).
With Web services, your accounting department's Win 2k server's billing system can connect with your IT supplier's UNIX server.
Web Services have Two Types of Uses
Reusable application-components.
There are things applications need very often. So why make these over and over again?
Web services can offer application-components like: currency conversion, weather reports, or even language translation as services.
Connect existing software.
Web services can help to solve the interoperability problem by giving different applications a way to link their data.
With Web services you can exchange data between different applications and different platforms.

Web Services have three basic platform elements: SOAP, WSDL and UDDI.
What is SOAP?
SOAP is an XML-based protocol to let applications exchange information over HTTP.
Or more 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 locating and describing Web services.
WSDL stands for Web Services Description Language
WSDL is based on XML
WSDL is used to describe Web services
WSDL is used to locate Web services
WSDL is a W3C standard
What is UDDI?
UDDI is a directory service where companies 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