What is the purpose of a Web Service?

Question

User1408399351 posted

-What are the uses of web service, I have read that it is used to connect 2 web applications. Could you give an example?

-It is also said that: organizations are using web services to expose and consume all kinds of legacy data that was difficult to get at previously. Could you give an example?

-Is it same as scheduer? for example:- if we add a timer/timer elapsed to webservice, then?

Answer 1

User1470285101 posted

What are the uses of web service,

Use of Webservices:

• You can expose already existing function using soap over http protocal.
• Interoperability: you can consume a webservice from multiple applications like Desktop,Web,Mobile and also from Java applications,etc.
• Webservices use Standardized soap over http protocal,so it is low cost to communicate

For more information,

http://www.w3schools.com/webservices/ws_why.asp

-Is it same as scheduer?

No, you can schedule to ping a  webservice using scheduler controls

Answer 2

User1508394307 posted

In simple words, from the point of view of recepient, web service is a interface (function) that returns information that you don't have in your application. For example, google has multiple services for geocoding (google maps). You send a name of location, like http://maps.google.com/maps/api/geocode/xml?address=sydney&sensor=false and get back its coordinates and some other data that you could use in your application. Usage of such service simplify your development: you don't need to maintain storage and data. Also you don't need to care in what format/database type that data is saved (legacy data).

Answer 3

User1408399351 posted

Thanks