web services
June 9, 2007 8:51 AM Subscribe
web services vs. web applications
I'm very confused by the term web services and how they are different from web applications. Web applications seem to be like a shopping cart feature on a web site, but I can't get my mind around web services. What are they and what are some examples?
I'm very confused by the term web services and how they are different from web applications. Web applications seem to be like a shopping cart feature on a web site, but I can't get my mind around web services. What are they and what are some examples?
Web services are applications that talk to each other (for example, you might have a web service make a SOAP request to collect information like local temperatures from another SOAP service).
Web applications interact with people using a web client (browser).
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:05 AM on June 9, 2007
Web applications interact with people using a web client (browser).
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:05 AM on June 9, 2007
A web service is a piece of functionality provided that can be used by other applications and has little use for an end-user. You're likely passing parameters or queries via a URL or plain text (XML, JSON, lots of other formats) and getting computer-readable formatted text back.
For instance, flickr's web api. There are calls to get comments, recent photos, etc. but they are returned as XML, not as a readable web page. Or Yahoo's geocoding service where you can pass an address and get a latitude and longitude back. You could build a very minimal webpage in front of such services, but that is for others to implement.
posted by mikeh at 10:14 AM on June 9, 2007
For instance, flickr's web api. There are calls to get comments, recent photos, etc. but they are returned as XML, not as a readable web page. Or Yahoo's geocoding service where you can pass an address and get a latitude and longitude back. You could build a very minimal webpage in front of such services, but that is for others to implement.
posted by mikeh at 10:14 AM on June 9, 2007
Best answer: I think a lot of these analogies are more confusing that helpful. I know the difference and even I don't understand that restaurant one.
Generally a web application is something a little more than a simple web page. Usually its a self-contained 'application' on the web - like a shopping cart. An application can provide and can use web services. An application is for use by 'end users' (that's us lot)
A web service is a service provided over the web to other sites or applications. Say for example if the shopping cart application provided a product search feed. That would be a web service. Your application or website sends a request for information and the service responds by returning the requested information.
A web service is used by other sites or applications
posted by missmagenta at 1:53 PM on June 9, 2007
Generally a web application is something a little more than a simple web page. Usually its a self-contained 'application' on the web - like a shopping cart. An application can provide and can use web services. An application is for use by 'end users' (that's us lot)
A web service is a service provided over the web to other sites or applications. Say for example if the shopping cart application provided a product search feed. That would be a web service. Your application or website sends a request for information and the service responds by returning the requested information.
A web service is used by other sites or applications
posted by missmagenta at 1:53 PM on June 9, 2007
A web service is an API that you use over HTTP. That's all.
posted by aparrish at 3:36 PM on June 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by aparrish at 3:36 PM on June 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Or use the car analogy: The gas pedal is the web application, the throttle cable is the web service. One is a human oriented UI, the other is a machine oriented UI.
posted by mrbugsentry at 8:56 AM on June 9, 2007