Exploring communication protocols
In the previous sections, we focused on the data formats used for storing and exchanging information in a standard way. The next step is identifying the ways to exchange such information, in other words, the most commonly used communication protocols.
SOAP and REST
SOAP and REST are two widely used communication protocols. Even if they have been mentioned many times in previous chapters (and in this chapter too), I think it's still relevant to provide a quick summary of them, as this can be the key to understanding the role of communication protocols in integration systems:
- SOAP: As mentioned before, this used to be a key component of the so-called SOA. Being based on the XML data format, it's usually used over the HTTP protocol. The documents are exchanged via formatted XML files included in a root tag called
envelope, containing a header and a body. Being regulated by a lot of substandards, SOAP is used to define the methods...
