Web Services in Cloud Computing

The objective is to understand the intricacies of web services and discover how they empower cloud-
based solutions.

What are Web Services?

Cloud Computing Web Services involve integrating web-based applications that are implemented to
allow open standards over an Internet Protocol backbone. It enables two electronic devices to
communicate over a network. The means are provided through different standards that include
HTTP, XML, SOAP, and WSDL, through which various applications can communicate with each other.
This makes the data and service provision across different systems and platforms inter-operable and
cooperative in the cloud.

Example

Imagine booking a flight online. The website interacts with a web service provided by an airline to
check availability and book your ticket. The airline's web service handles the complex backend
processes.

Key Components of Web Services

SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)

Simple Object Access Protocol(SOAP) is a network protocol for exchanging structured data between
nodes. It uses XML format to transfer messages. It works on top of application layer protocols like
HTTP and SMTP for notations and transmission. SOAP allows processes to communicate throughout
platforms, languages, and operating system, since protocols like HTTP are already installed on all
platforms.

SOAP Message Format

SOAP message transmits some basic information as given below

● Information about message structure and instructions on processing it.

● Encoding instructions for application-defined data types.

● Information about Remote Procedure Calls and their responses.

The message in XML format contains four parts-

● Envelope: This specifies that the XML message is a SOAP message. A SOAP message is an
XML document containing a header and a body, both encapsulated within the envelope. Any
fault is included within the body of the message.

● Header: This part is optional. When present, it can provide crucial information about the
applications.

● Body: This contains the actual message being transmitted. Faults are contained within the
body tags.
 ● Fault: This optional section contains the status of the application and any errors. It should
not appear more than once in a SOAP message.

Advantages of SOAP

● SOAP is a light weight data interchange protocol because it is based on XML.

● SOAP was designed to be OS and Platform independent.

● It is built on top of HTTP which is installed in most systems.

● It is suggested by W3 consortium which is like a governing body for the Web.

● SOAP is mainly used for Web Services and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).

UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration)

UDDI, or Universal Description, Discovery and Integration, is an Extensible Language Markup (XML)-
based standard to describe, publish and find information about web services. It is also a registry for
businesses providing web-based services to list themselves and find partners on the Internet.

The UDDI standard includes a set of specifications that define a distributed registry service for web
services. It is an XML-based and platform-independent framework that uses Web Service Definition
Language (WSDL) to describe interfaces to web services. It is also an open, industry-wide framework
since it lets all kinds of businesses list themselves on the Internet and discover, interact with and
carry out transactions with each other.

UDDI registry directory structure

The key components of UDDI Architecture are:

UDDI Registry: A central repository that stores information about businesses and their Web
services.

UDDI Nodes: Servers that host the UDDI registry. These nodes can be operated by different
organizations and can be replicated to ensure high availability.

UDDI Client: An application that interacts with the UDDI registry to publish or discover Web
services.

UDDI relies on a distributed registry of businesses plus their service descriptions, implemented in a
common XML format, to manage and enable the discovery of web services. Web service providers
advertise their services on the UDDI registry that manages all the information about the provider,
service implementations and service metadata. Organizing and cataloging web services on a registry
allows for sharing and reuse within an enterprise or with an external partner. Today, these registries
are based on the UDDI 3.0 specification.
Two types of registries are available: private and public. A private registry lets businesses publish and
test their internal web applications in a secure, private environment. A public registry consists of
peer directories containing information about businesses and their web services. Both private and
public registries comply with the same specifications.

WSDL(Web Services Description Language)

WSDL is XML based language format used to describe functionalities and operations involved in web
services. it basically tells the client application what the web services do. The general structure of
WSDL consists of Definition, target namespace, Datatypes, Messages, Port-type, Bindings, and
services.

WSDL Document Elements

o Definitions: It is the basic element of the WSDL document that contains the definition of one
or more services.

o Types: The Type element is used to give information about the complicated data types used
within the WSDL document.

o Message: It contains abstract data that is being used in communication between client and
web server. It also defines the data elements for each operation.

o portType: It contains the collection of abstract operation supported by one or more

endpoints.

o Port: It is used to define the single endpoint as an address for the binding.

o Services: It is a collection of endpoint networks that specify the port address for the binding.

o Binding: It specifies how operations are implemented by concrete protocols and data format
features for operation and messaging.
Structure of WSDL Document

How they all work together

The client will use requests to send a sequence of web service calls to the server hosting the actual
web service.

Remote procedure calls are used to perform these requests. The calls to the methods hosted by the
respective web service are known as Remote Procedure Calls (RPC). Example: Flipkart provides a
web service that displays the prices of items offered on Flipkart.com. The front end or presentation
layer can be written in .NET or Java, but the web service can be communicated using a programming
language.

The data exchanged between the client and the server, XML, is the most important part of web
service design. XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a simple, intermediate language understood by
various programming languages. It is the equivalent of HTML.

As a result, when programs communicate with each other, they use XML. It forms a common
platform for applications written in different programming languages to communicate with each
other.

Web services employ SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) to transmit XML data between
applications. The data is sent using standard HTTP. A SOAP message is data sent from a web service
to an application. An XML document is all that is contained in a SOAP message. The client application
that calls the web service can be built in any programming language as the content is written in XML.

Features of Web Services

(a) XML-based: A web service's information representation and record transport layers employ XML.
There is no need for networking, operating system, or platform bindings when using XML. At the
mid-level, web offering-based applications are highly interactive.

(b) Loosely Coupled: The subscriber of an Internet service provider may not necessarily be directly
connected to that service provider. The user interface for a web service provider may change over
time without affecting the user's ability to interact with the service provider.

(c) Ability to be synchronous or asynchronous: Synchronicity refers to the client's connection to the
execution of the function. Asynchronous operations allow the client to initiate a task and continue
with other tasks. The client is blocked, and the client must wait for the service to complete its
operation before continuing in synchronous invocation.

(d) Coarse Grain: Object-oriented systems, such as Java, make their services available differently. At
the corporate level, an operation is too great for a character technique to be useful. Building a Java
application from the ground up requires the development of several granular strategies, which are
then combined into a coarse grain provider that is consumed by the buyer or service.

(e) Supports remote procedural calls: Consumers can use XML-based protocols to call procedures,
functions, and methods on remote objects that use web services. A web service must support the
input and output framework of the remote system.

(f) Supports document exchanges: One of the most attractive features of XML for communicating
with data and complex entities.
(g) Platform Independence: Web services can be accessed by applications running on any platform,
regardless of programming language or operating system, promoting interoperability.

(h) Reusability: Web services can be reused by multiple applications, reducing development time
and effort. This promotes modularity and fosters efficient code sharing.

(i) Standardized Protocol: Web services rely on standardized protocols like HTTP, SOAP, and REST.
These standards ensure that communication is consistent and predictable, regardless of the specific
implementation of the web service.

(j) Statelessness: Web services are often stateless, meaning that each request is treated
independently of previous requests. This simplifies the design and implementation of web services
and improves scalability.

Benefits of Web Services in Cloud Computing

1 Interoperability - Connects diverse systems regardless of platform or language.

2 Reusability - Enables modular design and service composition, saving development time.

3 Scalability - Offers on-demand resource scaling for optimal performance.

4 Cost-Effectiveness - Reduces infrastructure and maintenance costs with pay-as you-go models.

5 Agility - Accelerates development and deployment, adapting to changing needs.

6 Accessibility Provides anywhere, anytime access and enhances collaboration.

Web-Based Applications in Cloud Computing

E-commerce - Online stores rely on web services to process orders, manage inventory, and handle
payments securely, enabling seamless customer experiences. Examples - Amazon, PayPal, Shopify.

Collaboration Tools - Collaboration tools like Google Docs and Microsoft Teams utilize web services
to facilitate real-time document editing, file sharing, and communication. Examples - Dropbox,
Google Drive, Trello, Zoom.

Social-Media - Social media platforms use web services for user authentication, content sharing, and
real-time updates, connecting users worldwide. Examples - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

Streaming Services - Streaming services like Netflix and Spotify leverage web services to deliver
content on-demand(CDNs), providing personalized recommendations and user profiles. Examples -
Youtube.