SOAP

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SOAP

SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is a web service protocol for exchanging structured information between applications, typically implemented using XML. It defines a message format and a set of operations for creating, retrieving, updating, and deleting data.

What does SOAP mean?

SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is an XML-based messaging protocol for exchanging structured information between computers. It is used to build Web services, which are software applications that can be accessed over the internet. SOAP is Platform– and language-independent, meaning that it can be used by any operating system or programming language.

SOAP messages are structured in a hierarchy, with each element having a name and a value. The root element of a SOAP message is the Envelope element. The Envelope element contains the Header element and the Body element. The Header element contains information about the message, such as the sender and receiver of the message. The Body element contains the actual data that is being exchanged.

SOAP messages are sent over HTTP or HTTPS. When a SOAP message is received by a Server, the server parses the message and executes the appropriate action. The action that is executed is determined by the value of the Operation element in the Body of the SOAP message.

Applications

SOAP is used to build a wide variety of web services, including:

  • E-commerce: SOAP is used to build web services that allow businesses to sell products and services online. These web services can be used to process orders, track inventory, and manage customer accounts.
  • Financial services: SOAP is used to build web services that allow financial institutions to provide financial services online. These web services can be used to check account balances, transfer funds, and apply for loans.
  • Healthcare: SOAP is used to build web services that allow healthcare providers to share patient information electronically. These web services can be used to send prescriptions, schedule appointments, and view patient records.

SOAP is important in technology today because it provides a standard way for computers to communicate with each other. This makes it possible to build web services that can be used by a wide variety of applications, regardless of the operating system or programming language that they are using.

History

SOAP was developed by Microsoft in 1998. The first version of SOAP was released in 2000. SOAP 1.1 was released in 2003. SOAP 1.2 was released in 2007.

SOAP is a widely adopted protocol for web services. It is supported by a wide variety of operating systems, programming languages, and web servers. SOAP is also supported by a number of open source libraries and tools.