SOAP 1.2 becomes a W3C Recommendation

By Alun Williams

Posted on 26 Jun 2003 at 12:56

The W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) has issued a new standard for communicating data over the Internet - the specification for SOAP 1.2.

Backed by the likes of Microsoft and IBM, SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) uses use XML to present the 'logic' of data across the communication networks. For example, it is used by Web-based applications to encode 'object' of information, such as identity information, car specifications, data records and any other logical grouping of data

'Web services make good on the promise of interoperable applications only when the technical foundations are shared, robust, and achieve expected performance,' said W3C Director, Tim Berners-Lee. 'Today, W3C Members have endorsed SOAP Version 1.2, the first version of SOAP to have undergone rigorous testing and implementation, and to support a full complement of Web standards. Web services customers and developers alike demand an XML-based Web services protocol that powers the full range of applications and Web technologies they can imagine using. Now that SOAP Version 1.2 is here, they have it.'

As well as removing ambiguities from version 1.1, the new standard deals with issues of messaging frameworks and remote procedure calls, and further builds on XML technologies. In particular, SOAP Version 1.2 is designed to work seamlessly with W3C XML schemas - this will pave the way for further work on the Web Services Description Language (WSDL).

A status of 'Recommendation' for a specification means that the W3C favours its adoption by the industry.

The Recommendation is based around four documents: the SOAP Version 1.2 Primer, SOAP Version 1.2
Messaging Framework , SOAP Version 1.2
Adjuncts and the SOAP Version 1.2
Assertions and Test Collection.