Web Services and it's History

What is Web Service?

  

Web Service is an application that is designed to interact directly with other applications over the internet. In simple sense, Web Services are means for interacting with objects over the Internet.

Web Service is

  Language Independent
     Protocol Independent
     Platform Independent
     It assumes stateless service architecture.
     Web services are application components
     Web services communicate using open protocols
     Web services are self-contained and self-describing
     Web services can be discovered using UDDI
     Web services can be used by other applications
     XML is the basis for Web services

Before that lets understand bit on how web service comes into picture.

The basic Web Services platform is XML + HTTP.

History of Web Service or How Web Service comes into existence?

As i have mention before that Web Service is used for interacting with objects over the Internet.

1. Initially Object - Oriented Language comes which allow us to interact with two object within same application.

2. Then comes Component Object Model (COM) which allows interacting two objects on the same computer, but in different applications.

3. Then comes Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) which allows interacting two objects on different computers, but within same local network.

4. And finally the web service, which allows two object to interact internet. That is it allows interacting between two objects on different computers and even not within same local network.

Example of Web Service

       Weather Reporting: You can use Weather Reporting web service to display weather information in your personal website.

       Stock Quote: You can display latest update of Share market with Stock Quote on your web site.

         News Headline: You can display latest news update by using News Headline Web Service in your website.

         In summary you can any use any web service which is available to use. You can make your own web service and let others use it. Example you can make Free SMS Sending Service with footer with your companies advertisement, so whosoever use this service indirectly advertise your company... You can apply your ideas in N no. of ways to take advantage of it.