The question of whether to use REST or SOAP has been around for some time. In fact, they are just two answers to the same question: how to access Web services.
SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is a standards-based protocol for Accessing Web services that has been around for a long time. SOAP, originally developed by Microsoft, was not as simple as its acronyms suggest.
The similarity
While SOAP and REST have similarities in the HTTP protocol, SOAP is a stricter set of messaging patterns than REST. Rules in SOAP are important because without them we cannot achieve any level of standardization. REST, as an architectural style, does not require processing and is naturally more flexible. Both SOAP and REST rely on well-established rules that everyone agrees to follow in order to exchange information.
Quick overview of SOAP
SOAP relies solely on XML to provide messaging services. Microsoft originally developed SOAP to replace older technologies that did not work well on the Internet, such as the Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) and the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA). These techniques fail because they rely on binary messaging. SOAP uses XML messages that work better on the Internet. After its initial release, Microsoft submitted SOAP to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), where it was standardized. SOAP is designed to support extensions, so it has a variety of other acronyms and acronyms associated with it, For example, Ws-addressing, WS-Policy, WS-Security, WS-Federation, WS-ReliableMessaging, WS-Coordination, WS-AtomicTransaction and WS-RemotePor Tlet. The point is that SOAP is highly extensible, but only as much as is needed for a particular task. For example, there isn’t really much need for WS-Security when using a public Web service that everyone can use for free.
The difficulty depends on the programming language
The XML used to make requests and receive responses in SOAP can become extremely complex. In some programming languages, these requests need to be built manually, which can be a problem because SOAP is intolerant of errors. However, other languages can use the shortcuts provided by SOAP. They reduce the amount of effort required to create requests and parse responses. In fact, you’ve never even seen XML while working with the.NET language. Part of the magic is the Web Services Description Language (WSDL). This is another file associated with SOAP. It provides a definition of how a Web service works, and the IDE can fully automate the process when creating a reference to it. Therefore, the difficulty of using SOAP largely depends on the language used.
Quick overview of REST
REST provides a lighter alternative. Many developers find SOAP cumbersome and difficult to use. For example, using SOAP in JavaScript means writing a lot of code to perform simple tasks, because you have to create the required XML structure each time. REST (generally) does not use XML to make requests, relying instead on simple urls. In some cases, additional information must be provided, but most Web services that use REST rely entirely on using the URL approach. REST can perform tasks using four different HTTP 1.1 verbs (GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE). Unlike SOAP, REST does not have to use XML to provide responses. You can find REst-based Web services that output data in command separated value (CSV), JavaScript object representation (JSON), and really simple syndication (RSS) formats. The key is to get the desired output in a form that is easy to parse in the language your application uses.
Advantage of Soap
SOAP has the following advantages over REST: • Language, platform, and transport independence (REST requires HTTP) • Works well in distributed enterprise environments (REST assumes direct point-to-point communication) • Standardization • Provides important PREbuilt extensibility in the form of WS* standards • Built-in error handling • automation when used with certain language products
REST advantage
REST is easier to use and more flexible in most cases. It has the following advantages over SOAP: • Easy to interact with Web services without expensive tools • smaller learning curve • efficient (SOAP uses XML for all messages, REST can use smaller message formats) • fast (without a lot of processing) • closer to other Web technologies in design philosophy
The final answer to the REST vs. SOAP question is “dependency.” Each protocol has clear advantages and disadvantages. The choice between SOAP or REST depends on the programming language used, the context in which it is used, and the requirements. Remember, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. It’s amazing how much money companies spend to create existing Web services (and make them better). Find free alternatives whenever possible. In many cases, your choice of Web service also determines your choice of protocol. Whether you choose SOAP or REST for your Web services, be sure to test the API thoroughly. Ready! The API has a full suite of functionality, performance, security, and virtualization tools to meet API testing requirements.
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