This page provides a starting point for finding information about web services.
Web services are self-contained, modular applications that can be described, published, located, and invoked over a network. They implement a services oriented architecture (SOA), which supports the connecting or sharing of resources and data in a very flexible and standardized manner. Services are described and organized to support their dynamic, automated discovery and reuse.
This set of scenarios is inspired by an online retailer called Plants by WebSphere®. Plants by WebSphere uses web services support in WebSphere Application Server to improve communications with its suppliers. The more advanced scenarios describe web services support available only in particular editions of the application server. Consult the product documentation to confirm what is supported by your edition.
A service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a collection of services that communicate with each other, for example, passing data from one service to another or coordinating an activity between one or more services.
Web services are self-contained, modular applications that you can describe, publish, locate, and invoke over a network.
Java API for RESTful Web Services (JAX-RS) is a programming model that provides a mechanism for developing services that follow Representational State Transfer (REST) principles. Using JAX-RS, development of RESTful services is simplified.
The Web Services Addressing (WS-Addressing) support in this product provides the environment for web services that use the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) WS-Addressing specifications. This family of specifications provide transport-neutral mechanisms to address web services and to facilitate end-to-end addressing.
The Web Services Resource Framework (WSRF) support in WebSphere Application Server provides the environment for web service applications that follow the OASIS WSRF specifications.
Web Services Distributed Management (WSDM) is an OASIS approved standard that supports managing resources through a standardized web service interface. Your environment, such as WebSphere Application Server host or an operating system host that has an exposed resource as a web service within a single interface is used to manage and control resources. WSDM is a distributed management model, but it does not replace any existing WebSphere Application Server administration models. WSDM provides a new way to expose the internal product administration functions for a web service interface.
WSIF is a Web Services Description Language (WSDL)-oriented Java API. You use this API to invoke web services dynamically, regardless of the service implementation format (for example enterprise bean) or the service access mechanism (for example Java Message Service). Use these topics to learn more about WSIF.
WS-Policy is an interoperability standard that is used to describe and communicate the policies of a web service so that service providers can export policy requirements in a standard format. Clients can combine the service provider requirements with their own capabilities to establish the policies required for a specific interaction.
WS-ReliableMessaging is an interoperability standard for the reliable transmission of messages between two endpoints. Use these topics to learn more about WS-ReliableMessaging.
WS-Transaction is an interoperability standard that includes the WS-AtomicTransaction, WS-BusinessActivity, and WS-Coordination specifications. Use these topics to learn more about WS-Transaction.
The Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) specification defines a way to publish and discover information about web services.
The Web Services Security specification defines core facilities for protecting the integrity and confidentiality of a message, and provides mechanisms for associating security-related claims with a message.
Use these concepts to explore service integration bus-enabled web services.
WS-Notification enables web services to use the publish and subscribe messaging pattern. Use these topics to learn more about WS-Notification.