Webservice

Intro

In a Service Oriented Architecture, a web service encapsulates logic to process structured data across applications regardless of technology. It exposes standard interfaces for interoperability.

Key points:

• Promotes loose coupling via contracts.
• Supports cross‑platform integration.
• Common use cases across EA/BPM/Data/App/Tech include SOAP services, B2B exchanges, and system integrations.
• Pitfall: inconsistent contracts and error handling across services.

Examples:

• Customer lookup web service for multiple channels.
• Partner order submission via SOAP endpoints.
• Master data synchronization between ERP and CRM.

In practice:

Define clear service contracts, security policies, and SLAs; manage versions carefully.

Related terms: Web Service Definition Language; Service; Service Oriented Architecture

FAQs:

Q: Are web services only SOAP?
A: Traditionally SOAP; modern services may use REST/JSON.

Q: Do web services require an ESB?
A: No; they can be hosted directly or via gateways.

‍