CODEWITHSUNDEEP
restsoap
user547910
user547910

Reputation: 1

SOAP and REST question

I have been reading up on the differences between SOAP and REST.
I am getting the impression that SOAP would be used for a service that would invoke behavior, provide a contract and address interoperability through the use of XML.

I am also getting the impression that REST is good for managing information with create, read, update and delete statements. An individual resource can be indexed via a URL which can address security and caching much easier than a WSDL based SOAP Web Service.

I am curious if there is anyone out there who has had to create a Web Service and split it into to two Web Services; one SOAP WS for invoking behavior and a separate REST WS for simply reading and updating a resource.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 427

Answers (1)

b-ryan ca
b-ryan ca

Reputation: 133

I think you may be missing the point -- and I don't blame you as the content on the web is rather confusing. SOAP and REST exist at (somewhat) opposite ends of the spectrum. SOAP provides an encapsulation layer on type of HTTP to provide services. Within this encapsulation layer, actions, requests, data, etc are maintained. In contrast, REST argues that HTTP itself can provide the all action, requests, and data required. So you can think of REST as being 'native' to HTTP, while SOAP is in a layer on top of HTTP. This distinction is important, because it means that for SOAP, the underlying transport can be something other than HTTP.

In practical matters, there's much more to look at. SOAP is often popular because of the tools used to support it. If you are in a Microsoft shop, you probably have all the tools at your disposal to make SOAP applications very quickly. On the other hand, if you are looking to be a web 2.0 compliant company, and want to stick with HTTP as your common protocol, REST is definitely the right way to go.

Upvotes: 6

Related Questions