Web Services

Web services are web-based application that translates your application into browser-based application
using XML, SOAP, WSDL and UDDI. World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has defined it as a software
system designed to communicate machine to machine over a network without time-consuming custom
coding. These applications usually allow organizations to communicate data without interfering in one
another’s system.
In web service, XML tags the data within the message; SOAP is a protocol specification that transfers the
data, the Web Services Description Language (WSDL) defines the description of available service while
Universal Description Discovery and Integration (UDDI) provides the list of available services.
Web service does not provide the Graphics User Interface by default but the programmers can add it to
provide it to the clients by making it as a specific web service application.

Why to use Web Services

Interoperability
Web services have the tendency of higher Interoperability that means web services allows the companies to
communicate each other on the basis of business. Technically sound user will find a way to access the
desired information, which was not early so easy. For accessing data in the missing web services, users
would need to resort the methods.
Simplicity
The system of web services is so simple that even non-programmers can assemble web servicebased
integration solutions through using the integration platform tools. Besides these, the portal’s application
server can easily devour SOAP messages. This made the integration easier, faster, and cheaper.
Reusability
After making the connection and exposing the web service, it becomes easy to connect to other
applications.
Cost Effective
Web services are cost effective and can help to manage costs. It integrates easily with other companies
and also permits to measure your business. Web application also provides the services like language
interpreter, currency converter and in weather reports.
How to use?
Due to inbuilt with a set of tools web services can be used several means but the three most common styles
of use are RPC, SOA and REST.

Remote Procedure Calls (RPC)

Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is a protocol, which a program from one computer can use to
request any service to another program of different computer system. The program performs the request
within the network without assessing the network detail
RPC uses the client/server model in which, the requesting program is known as a client model and the
service-providing program is known as the server. RPC is a synchronous operation functions like a regular
or local call. It runs successfully when its requesting program is on halt until the results of the remote
procedure are returned. In spite of this, lightweight processes or threads, which shares the same address
space performs multiple RPCs operations concurrently. The Basic unit of RPC Web Service is the WSDL
operation.
Remote Procedure Call compiles into an executable program when a program statements uses it. During
compilation, a stub is attached in compilation code, which acts as the representatives of the remote
procedure code. When the program runs and issues the procedure call, the stub receives the request and
forwards it to a client runtime program in the local computer.

When to use Web Services

Service-Oriented Architecture
Web services can also be used to implement Service-oriented architecture (SOA). SOA is a collection of
services that mutually communicate one another, where the basic unit of communication is a message,
rather than an operation. It is also called message-oriented services.
XML schema that is also known as XSD usually defines the service, which SOA communicates.
Mostly the bigger software vendors and industry analysts support SOA service and maintain it by registry
that functions like a directory listing. Applications can found and access the services.
Representational state transfer
Representational state transfer (REST) is a pattern of software architecture used for getting information
content from a Web site by reading a designated Web page containing an XML file, which describes and
includes the desired content. Sometimes, REST has been used to specify any simple interface that passes
on domain-specific data over HTTP without any extra messaging layer like SOAP or session tracking via
HTTP cookies.

Role of XML in Web Services

Because of its innovative characteristics, web services are called the nexgen (next generation) web
technology. For developing any application or website, the programmers have to create lots of coding,
generates many files which produces difficulties in handling those data if it is done manually. The
developers have to categorise those data according to its category like data for users, data for
administrators, data for login and data for device etc. These functions consume lots of time and manpower
and resulting the losses in the productivity. eXtensible markup language Solve the such problems by
enabling the developers to assign data to
be exchanged between PCs, smart devices, applications, and Web sites. An arranged and clustered data
according to format and style definitions can be easily organized, programmed, edited, and exchanged
between any Web sites, applications, and devices.
XML makes communication between two or more applications, similar like users communicate to
applications. XML convene this facility and developers can call web services from JavaScript.

Web Service Components

Web service has three main components:
i) SOAP
ii) WSDL and
iii) UDDI
i) SOAP
Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) is a communication protocol that communicates between
applications without understanding the configuration and programming of any operating system and
programming language. A program from one computer system can communicate with other program on
another computer system within and beyond network using SOAP protocol on the Internet.
SOAP can run on any operating system and need not to assess the programming code. It is based on XML
and HTTP and runs using the nexus of both on to the Internet. SOAP is simple and extensible and allows
the user to woo firewall. It is a mechanism generally used for information exchange over the Internet.
Since the emerging of web protocols that runs on all major operating system platforms, HTTP and XML
solve the problem of running within different operating systems and in different programming language.
Similar like this, SOAP also describes how to encode an HTTP header and an XML file to make
communication between two computers and call any program from one’s to others. SOAP will also describe
the criteria of returning the response of the program.
Microsoft, DevelopMentor, and Userland Software have jointly developed the SOAP and promoted it as a
standard interface to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). It is a little bit analogous to the Internet
Inter-ORB Protocol (IIOP). IIOP is a protocol that is a part of the Common Object Request Broker
Architecture (CORBA). The program calls through SOAP protocol has a benefit of that it can interact firewall
servers, which screen out the request other than those for known applications using designated port
mechanism.
ii) WSDL
Web Services Description Language (WSDL) is an XML-based language written in XML and used for
describing Web services and the process of accessing it. It is also used for locating web services.
WSDL specify the network services, location service and operation services as a set of endpoints operating
on messages containing either document-oriented or procedure-oriented information.
The operations and messages are illustrated conceptually, and then leap to a concrete network protocol
and message configure to identify an endpoint. The integrated concrete endpoints are tied up with abstract
endpoints (services). The WSDL navigates for individuals and other business to access the service.

The Web Services Description Language (WSDL) is an XML-based language used to describe the services
a business offers and to provide a way for individuals and other businesses to access those services by
electronic means. WSDL is the base of the Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) that
facilitate businesses to be listed themselves and their services on the Internet.

Web Service Components

WSDL is consequent from SOAP of Microsoft and NASSL (Network Accessible Service
Specification Language) of IBM. WSDL has replaced Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) and IBM’s
(NASSL) both for describing business services in the UDDI registry. To check the available function on
server, a client program can read the WSDL connected with Internet.

UDDI
Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) is a platform-independent, XML-based directory for
storing information about web services and for businesses worldwide to list themselves on the Internet.
UDDI uses WSDL to describe interface to web services that communicates through SOAP. It is also used
for discovering the business or industry of all size.
Earlier, before the evaluation of UDDI, it was not possible to reach their customers and partners and their
products to buy or sale on the Internet. It was written in August 2000 and was introduced in the public as a
beta version in November 2000. Microsoft, IBM, and Ariba spearheaded have jointly founded UDDI. UDDI
was originally proposed as a core Web service standard and later integrated into the Web Services
Interoperability (WS-I) standard as a central pillar of web services infrastructure.

UDDI can define how to enable commerce for the desired business. It is also used for getting new
customers, enhancing the navigation of current customers, extending offerings and expanding market
reach, solving customer related problems and illustrating the services and business processes
programmatically in a single, open, and secure environment.
A UDDI business consists of three components: White pages, Yellow Pages and Green Pages.
White pages are contains address, contact, and known identifiers, Yellow pages are known for industrial
categorizations based on standard taxonomies and green pages reflect technical information about services
exposed by the business.

Web Services benefits:

Here are the benefits of using Web Services:
1. Exposing the function on to network: A Web service can be remotely invoked using HTTP. So, Web
Services allows you to expose the functionality of your existing code over the network. Once it is exposed
on the network, other application can use the functionality of your program.
2. Connecting Different Applications: Web Services allows different applications to talk to each other and
share data and services among them. Other applications can also use the services of the web services. For
example VB or .NET application can talk to java web services and vice versa. So, Web services are used to
make the application platform and technology independent.
3. Ease of integration: One of the major benefits is Web services’ ease of integration. You will easily
integrate your application with other pieces of software application i.e. with external data sources. You can
run it on all kinds of machines from desktop to mainframe and from within your enterprise to external sites
i.e. Web services link applications, services, and devices together.
4. Standardized Protocol: Web Services uses standardized industry standard protocol for the
communication. All the four layers (Service Transport, XML Messaging, Service Description and Service
Discovery layers) use the well defined protocol in the Web Services protocol stack. This standardization of
protocol stack gives the business many advantages like wide range of choices, reduction in the cost due to
competition and increase in the quality.
5. Low Cost of communication: Web Services use SOAP over HTTP protocol for the communication, so
you can use your existing low cost internet for implementing Web Services. This solution is much less costly
compared to proprietary solutions like EDI/B2B.
6. Support for Other communication means: Beside SOAP over HTTP, Web Services can also be
implemented on other reliable transport mechanisms. So, it gives flexibility use the communication means
of your requirement and choice. For example Web Services can also be implemented using ftp protocol
(Web services over FTP).
7. Loosely Coupled Applications: Web Services are self-describing software modules, which
encapsulates discrete functionality. Web Services are accessible via standard Internet communication
protocols like XML and SOAP. These Web Services can be developed in any technologies (like c++,
Java, .NET, PHP, Perl etc.) and any application or Web Services can access these services. So, the Web
Services are loosely coupled application and can be used by applications developed in any technologies.
For example, I have heard of people developing Web Services using Java technologies and using the Web
Services in VB or .NET applications.
8. Web Services Sharing: These days due to complexness the business, organizations are using different
technologies like EAI, EDI, B2B, Portals etc. for distributing computing. Web Services supports all these
technologies, thus helping the business to use existing investments in other technologies.
9. Web Services are Self-Describing: Web Services are self-describing applications, which reduces the
software development time. This helps the other business partners to quickly develop application and start
doing business. This helps business to save time and money by cutting development time.
10. Automatic Discovery: Web Services automatic discovery mechanism helps the business to easy find
the Service Providers. This also helps your customer to find your services easily. With the help of Web
Services your business can also increase revenue by exposing their own Web Services available to others.
11. Business Opportunity: Web Services has opened the door to new business opportunities by making it
easy to connect with partners.