How do SOAP and REST compare for programming?

3 SOAP vs REST: Features

One of the main differences between SOAP and REST is the level of abstraction and standardization they offer. SOAP is a protocol that defines a rigid and detailed specification for the messages and their exchange. SOAP messages have a fixed structure that consists of an envelope, a header, and a body. The envelope contains information about the message itself, such as the encoding, the version, and the destination. The header contains information about the message context, such as the authentication, the encryption, and the routing. The body contains the actual data that is being sent or requested. SOAP also defines a contract or a description of the web service, called WSDL (Web Services Description Language), that specifies the operations, the parameters, and the responses that the web service supports.

REST, on the other hand, is not a protocol, but a set of principles and best practices for designing web services. REST does not define any specific format or structure for the messages and their exchange. REST messages are based on the HTTP protocol and its methods, headers, and status codes. The messages can use any data format that is suitable for the resource and the operation, such as JSON, XML, HTML, or plain text. REST does not require a contract or a description of the web service, but it can use a documentation tool, such as Swagger or RAML, to provide information about the resources, the methods, and the responses that the web service supports.

4 SOAP vs REST: Advantages

SOAP and REST both have their own advantages depending on the context and the requirements of the web service. SOAP, for instance, supports complex and distributed operations and transactions that require high reliability, consistency, and security. It also supports multiple protocols and transports for message exchange, such as HTTP, SMTP, FTP, or TCP, and can use UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration) to register and discover web services. On the other hand, REST is ideal for simple and stateless operations that require high scalability, performance, and flexibility. It can use HTTP caching, load balancing, and content negotiation to improve efficiency and speed. Furthermore, REST supports multiple data formats and representations for resources such as JSON, XML, HTML or plain text. Additionally, REST follows the principles of the web with uniformity, modularity and visibility by using URIs to identify resources, HTTP methods to express intent of an operation and hypermedia to link between resources.

5 SOAP vs REST: Disadvantages

SOAP and REST have their own disadvantages depending on the context and web service requirements. SOAP is complex and verbose, making it difficult to understand, implement, and maintain. It is also rigid and inflexible, which can limit the options and variations of the web service. Furthermore, SOAP messages may not be easily readable or testable by browsers, or may be blocked or modified by firewalls or proxies. On the other hand, REST is less standardized and formalized, making it harder to enforce and validate. Additionally, it is less reliable and secure, without a built-in mechanism for dealing with issues such as encryption, authentication, reliability, or coordination. Lastly, it is more dependent on HTTP protocol limitations; REST can only use HTTP methods and status codes to express operations and responses of the web service.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?