Definitions for "Simple Object Access Protocol"
Convention or standard that controls or enables the connection, communication, and data transfer between two computing endpoints. SOAP is used for exchanging XML-based messages over a computer network, normally using HTTP. SOAP forms the foundation layer of the web services stack, providing a basic messaging framework that more abstract layers can build on.
A simple, lightweight protocol for structured and strong-type information exchange in a decentralised, distributed environment. The protocol is based on eXtensible Markup Language (XML) and consists of three parts: An envelope which describes the contents of the message and how to use it. A set of rules for serialising data exchanged between applications. A procedure to represent remote procedure calls, that is, the way in which queries and the resulting responses to the procedure are represented. Similar to object distribution models such as IIOP, SOAP can call methods, services, components and objects on remote servers. However, unlike these protocols, which use binary formats for the calls, SOAP uses text format (Unicode), with the help of XML to structure the nature of the exchanges. SOAP can generally operate with numerous protocols ( FTP, SMTP etc.), but it is particularly well suited to the HTTP protocol. It defines a reduced set of parameters which are specified in the HTTP header, making it easier to pass through proxies and firewalls.
SOAP is an XML/HTTP-based protocol for accessing services, objects and servers in a platform-independent manner. SOAP codifies the existing practice of using XML and HTTP as a method invocation mechanism. The SOAP specification mandates a small number of HTTP headers that facilitate firewall/proxy filtering. The SOAP specification also mandates an XML vocabulary that is used for representing method parameters, return values, and exceptions. SOAP relies on HTTP 1.0 or greater and can take advantage of the HTTP extension framework.
Keywords:  unix, single, specification
Keywords:  medium, size, business, small