A Basic Web Services Architecture

Earlier sections in this chapter have dealt with defining Web services and describing how they work (from a program-to-program perspective). A closer look reveals that Web services pass content between applications using a common format known as XML; Web services use a registry (UDDI), a template (WSDL), and a programmatic interface (SOAP) to enable applications to find and interact with each other; and they use a common network (the Internet) to transport information and data between cooperating applications (see Figure 1-2).

Figure 1-2. Critical Elements of a Basic Web Services Architecture.

These are considered to be the basic building blocks of Web services architecture. But, as stated previously, the benefits of Web services architecture can be maximized if used in conjunction with business process management software to help streamline business workflow. And, by making application program development easier and linking application development with Web services protocols, more Web services applications can be developed. The next section describes how application development environments, Web (portal) development environments, mobile computing, and business process management software can all be used to create a highly integrated Web services development environment.