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Web Service Protocols

The web services protocols are used to define, locate, implement, and make web services interact with each other. The following XML-based protocols specify the web service interface as required by CA Identity Manager:

Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)

Defines the run-time message format that contains the service request and response.

Web Services Description Language (WSDL)

Describes the web service interface, the SOAP message, and how the service is invoked.

A web service can be thought of as a software service described in a WSDL document and formatted on the Web in a SOAP document. This relationship is illustrated in the following diagram: