Definition
Service Oriented Architecture is a type of architecture whose goal is to accomplish loose coupling among interacting software agents/services”. A service is a unit of work performed by a service provider to achieve expected end results for a service consumer. Both provider and consumer are functions layered by software agents on behalf of their owners. Service Oriented Architecture is a fresh paradigm which supports modularized implementation of services (business logic). This architecture is especially relevant when multiple application programs running on varied technologies and platforms have to communicate with each other.
The components of SOA include:
Service providers: A service provider is a component or set of components that execute a business function in a stateless fashion, accepting predefined inputs and outputs.
Service consumers: A service consumer is a set of components interested in using one or more of the services provided by service providers.
Service repository: A service repository contains the descriptions of the services. Service providers register their services in this repository and service consumers access the repository to discover the services being provided.
SOA Characteristics
- Services are
· Discoverable and dynamically bound
· Self-contained and modular
· Stress interoperability
· Loosely coupled
· Network-addressable interface
· Coarse-grained interfaces
· Location-transparent
Basic SOA Model
A basic service-oriented architecture can be depicted as follows
WebServices – Definition
- A Web service is a software application identified by a URI, whose interface and bindings are capable of being identified, described and discovered by XML artifacts and supports direct interactions with other software applications using XML based messages via Internet-based protocols.
What is a Web Service?
- Application components
- Communicate using open protocols
- Self-contained and self-describing
- Discovered using UDDI
- Can be used by other applications
- XML is the basis for Web services
For detail presentation and explanation about SOA and Web Service please download the presentation.
