Web service
What are Web Services? Architecture, Types, Example
What is Web Service? Web service is a standardized medium to propagate communication between the...
API is the acronym for Application Programming Interface. It is a software interface that allows two applications to interact with each other without any user intervention.
APIs provides product or service to communicate with other products and services without having to know how they're implemented.
In this API vs. Web Services tutorial, you will learn:
A Web service is a collection of open protocols and standards which are widely used for exchanging data between systems or applications.
Software applications are written using various programming languages and running on multiple platforms. It allows you to use web services to exchange data over computer networks.
Web services should be implemented in various ways. The two types of widely used web services are SOAP and RESTful web services.
SOAP – SOAP is a protocol which was designed before REST came into the picture. The main idea behind creating SOAP was to ensure that programs built on different platforms and programming languages could securely exchange data.
REST – This was designed specifically for working with components such as media components, files, or even objects on a particular hardware device. Any web service which is defined on the principles of REST can be called a RESTful web service. REST uses the normal HTTP verbs of GET, POST, PUT and DELETE for working with the required components.
Here are some essential features of API:
Here are some essential features of web services:
Here are important differences between Web services and API.
Web Service | API |
All web services are APIs. | All APIs are not web services. |
It supports XML. | Responses are formatted using Web API's MediaTypeFormatter into XML, JSON, or any other given format. |
You need a SOAP protocol to send or receive and data over the network. Therefore it does not have light-weight architecture. | API has a light-weight architecture. |
It can be used by any client who understands XML. | It can be used by a client who understands JSON or XML. |
Web service uses three styles: REST, SOAP, and XML-RPC for communication. | API can be used for any style of communication. |
It provides supports only for the HTTP protocol. | It provides support for the HTTP/s protocol: URL Request/Response Headers, etc. |
Here are pros/benefits of using API:
Here are the important pros/benefits of using web services:
Here are important drawbacks/cons of using API services:
Drawbacks/cons of using Web services:
What is Web Service? Web service is a standardized medium to propagate communication between the...
{loadposition top-ads-automation-testing-tools} An API or Application Programming Interface is a...
Download PDF 1) Explain microservices architecture Microservice Architecture is an architectural...
What is WSDL? Web Services Description Language (WSDL) is an XML-based file that basically tells...
What is Restful Web Services? Restful Web Services is a lightweight, maintainable, and scalable...
What is an API? Application Programming Interface(API) is a software interface that allows two...