Web Services
A WebService is an application designed to allow remote invocation of its functionality over the internet. They most commonly use XML/SOAP messages transmitted over HTTP.
Advantages
- Low coupling of application components, allowing reuse
- Very good interoperability
- Easily accessed due to the ubiquity of HTTP
Disadvantages
- The XML representation of data can add overhead
- The specification schema (WSDL) can be complex
Components
- Endpoint
- Service
- Interface
- Data types
Development tools
- Microsoft Visual Studio (VB.NET or C#)
- Netbeans, Eclipse (Java, PHP)
Versions