1

We have had in Domino for some time Web Services. Now, after the release 8.5.3 one can install and deploy REST Services (http://extlib.openntf.org).

From my understanding the REST way is clearer and just feel right.

However, the Web Services are still for some reason here.

Now, as it looks like i'll have to dive deeper into this topic, i'd like to set the question: Does it have any reason to study and try to implement the Web Services or i'd rather start right away with the newest libraries? (http://www.openntf.org/blogs/openntf.nsf/d6plinks/NHEF-8J994J )

Update. Discovered the following Link/Duscussion SOAP or REST for Web Services?

Though it's not Domino specific, but has a lot of good info. Now only some Domino-specific experience fails, which i'd be glad to see here...

Community
  • 1
  • 1
Maksim Ravnovesov
  • 273
  • 4
  • 12

2 Answers2

6

SOAP beats REST by a large margin when it comes to system to system communication. Providing just one end point (the wsdl file) a reliable and verifiable grammar can be established: what can you do, what data is needed, what to expect in return. (Not sure if the latest we service spec extended the reliability to REST). REST based services on the other hand work by (manual) convention. You need to know the URL syntax, not just the location of the wsdl file and there is no relation to a schema other than doing a get and hoping the returned XML has one.

When it comes to browser system communication the picture is different. Here the lean operation of REST specifically when the payload is JSON beats the robust definition of SOAP any time. Just keep in mind you need to bar in for syntax and format. If you are on both ends - that's easy to bargin then.

In conclusion: both REST and SOAP (actually both are called web services in the definition, it is only 'colloquial' to refer to SOAP when saying 'web service') have their 'sweet spot' use cases.

stwissel
  • 20,110
  • 6
  • 54
  • 101
  • thanks ! in other words, when we build Web-based application(s), we'd rather look into REST services but when we, for instance, try to bring together SAP and Domino (where SAP Application takes/updates the data in Domino) the SOAP could be the better solution. Correct ? – Maksim Ravnovesov Mar 24 '12 at 10:21
  • SAP actually has a Java connector that allows you to access BAPI's directly. – Toby Samples Mar 24 '12 at 15:11
  • Toby that API is depricated afaik. Anyway if sap takes the lead... you could sap just notify Domino and then let Domino pull. The latest sap version does data which is Rest. So it really depends – stwissel Mar 25 '12 at 11:17
0

It depends on your application needs. Your Domino app might have the need to consume Web-services, or a 3rd party/another app might accept communication only using Web-services. Regarding studying, it never did any harm to someone, and for sure you will find use of Web Services knowledge outside of Domino :-)

Egor Margineanu
  • 740
  • 5
  • 9