What Are Web Services?

The term “web services” means different things to different people. From a technical point of view, web services describe a suite of protocols built upon XML and HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). HTTP is widely available all across the Internet and it is very well supported. Why use XML and HTTP? Well, we all know the benefits of XML when it comes to exchanging data. When combined with HTTP, XML can be used to describe both simple and sophisticated transactions between clients and services across the Internet. But before we actually discuss web services, let’s take a look back and see how and why they were developed.

Throughout the short history of web programming, developers have created unique ways of allowing applications ...

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