Web 2.0

Web services
A web service is a software system that is designed to support computer interaction and a way of integrating web-based applications over a network. They are executed on a remote system that is hosting the requested services. All web services will make themselves available over the internet and utilise a standardised XML messaging system, which is used to encode any communication to a web service. Apart from XML, web services also use SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI open standards.

Many software applications that are written in different programming languages are able to use these web services to exchange data over computer networks like internet. Overall, web services are web API’s that are accessible over any given network like the internet and are not tied to only one operating system or programming language. For instance, pearl can communicate with Java, and UNIX applications can communicate with windows applications.

Most web services are used for the benefit or businesses to communicate with their clients as well as other businesses and allow communication of data except the disclosure of their IT systems.

Features of a web service include:

• Security
• Reliability
• Reliable Messaging
• Transaction

API’s
API stands for Application Program Interface. An API is a collection or routines, protocols and tools for developing software applications or some other control program such as a database management system. A good API makes it easy to develop a program via the provision of all the right building blocks and is implemented by writing function calls in the program. Operating systems such as Windows provide their own API facilities so that developers can write applications that are consistent with the environment of the operating system. However, not all companies make their API’s available to the public because this allows them to have some control over who can write applications.

API can be used and defined in two ways:

1. A sole entry position such as a function, method or procedure.
2. An interface incorporating classes or collections of related procedures or functions.

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