SOAP Protocol in Web Services and it’s Characteristics

What is SOAP Protocol?

SOAP is the Simple Object Access Protocol. SOAP protocol in web services is used for communication between two or more computers connected over the internet. The communication can be carried by transferring the document through a SOAP message. It is also carried out by calling a remote procedure calls using the SOAP message.

Alternative to SOAP Protocol in Web Services

There are many protocols for data communication between computers. SOAP is mostly used as it adheres to some open standards. Some of the popular alternatives are CORBA, DCOM, and Java RMI.

Still, most of the web services use SOAP APIs for the following characteristics.

Characteristics of SOAP Protocol in Web Services

Describing characteristics of the SOAP protocol is simply asking yourself. What does make SOAP superior over all other alternatives?

• In simple, SOAP is the extension of the HTTP protocol which is written in XML data format.
• It is an open standard protocol. So anyone can use it.
• It uses the XML data formatting and entirely written in XML. Almost every computer geek knows XML. More importantly, it is open source.
• Communication happens via the internet.
• It is used to access web services. (Web services are methods or functions that are running on a web server.)
• A SOAP message is also used for broadcasting a message from one computer to all other connected computers.
• There is no underlying restriction to use the particular platform or associated computer language.
• It is also feasible to implement client-server architecture. The client can invoke a remote procedure call located on the server-side by using SOAP protocol message.

How would you like to compare SOAP with REST API?

REST has become very popular. It is growing immensely on the webserver for API implementation. If you are not aware of it, you can read REST API architecture.

Many people find it difficult to differentiate the SOAP and REST. Do read the difference between SOAP and REST web services.

If you have any doubts about SOAP protocol in web services, write in the comment section. I am glad to discuss and share my thought with you.

Aniruddha Chaudhari

I am a Python enthusiast who loves Linux and Vim. I hold a Master of Computer Science degree from NIT Trichy and have 10 years of experience in the IT industry, focusing on the Software Development Lifecycle from Requirements Gathering, Design, Development to Deployment. I have worked at IBM, Ericsson, and NetApp, and I share my knowledge on CSEstack.org.