SOAP protocol

The SOAP protocol (Simple Object Access Protocol) ensures interaction between web services and with clients. SOAP is used with such application-level protocols as SMTP, FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, but most often SOAP is used over HTTP.

A SOAP message consists of the following elements:

• Envelope - the root element that defines the message and namespace used in the document.
• Header contains message attributes, such as security or network routing information.
• Body contains a message exchanged between applications.
• Fault An optional element that provides information about errors that occurred while processing messages.

However, you should be aware that using the SOAP protocol to transmit messages increases their volume and reduces the processing speed.

See also