An endpoint listener is a Web service-enabled entry point to one
or more service integration buses. An endpoint listener carries requests
and responses between Web service clients and buses.
An endpoint listener is the point (address) at which incoming SOAP messages
for a Web service are received by a service integration bus. Each endpoint
listener supports a particular binding. Endpoint listeners are supplied with
WebSphere Application Server for the following bindings:
- SOAP over HTTP.
- SOAP over JMS.
A request arrives at an endpoint listener. It is passed to an inbound port,
at which point security and JAX-RPC handler lists can be applied, then sent
on to the service destination. Responses follow the same path in reverse.
The endpoint listener acts as the ultimate receiver of a SOAP message.
The resulting messages that pass across the service integration bus are not
then SOAP messages, rather just the data and context that resulted from receiving
the SOAP message.
Two instances of each type of endpoint listener are
supplied with WebSphere Application Server so that, for each endpoint listener
type, you can set up separate endpoint listeners
for (for example) requests from your internal users and requests from your
external users. Each endpoint listener is associated with a specific server
or cluster, a specific set of service integration buses
and (through inbound ports) a specific set of Web services. By
restricting access to an endpoint listener, you can give
different user groups access to different services. For example:
- To give users inside your organization access to the full
range of internal and external services, you can make those services available
through one endpoint listener.
- To give users outside your organization access to those internal services
that you choose to publish externally, you can make those services also available
through another endpoint listener.