This document compares REST and SOAP web services and outlines the advantages of REST. It discusses how REST is lighter weight than SOAP, using less bandwidth as it does not require wrapping requests and responses in XML. It also describes how REST is simpler to implement than SOAP, relying on HTTP verbs rather than custom service contracts. REST services allow for easier caching and work better with firewalls. The document promotes REST for its scalability, simplicity and ability to save bandwidth and development time.

1. Why use REST for
webservices?
REST
vs
SOAP

2. Index
 Introduction
 Main characteristics
 Bandwidth Usage
 Caching
 Simplicity
 Security
 Questions?

3. Introduction
 Representational state transfer (REST) is a style of
software architecture for distributed hypermedia
systems such as the World Wide Web.
Key goals of REST include:
 Scalability of component interactions
 Generality of interfaces
 Independent deployment of components
 Intermediary components to reduce latency, enforce security
and encapsulate legacy systems

4. Main characteristics
 Standards-based (runs on top of HTTP)
 REST is platformand language independent
 REST has Human Readable Results
 REST permits many different data formats where as
SOAP only permits XML.
 For example JSON usually is a better fit for data and
parses much faster.

5. Bandwidth Usage
 REST is lighter than SOAP. SOAP requires an XML
wrapper around every request and response.
 In REST Not a lot of extra xml markup is needed.
 SOAP response could require more than 10 times as
many bytes as would the same response in REST.
If you save bandwidth, you save response time and money!

6. Caching
 The information can be cached because REST is totally
stateless.
 Since HTTP based REST can be cached by intermediate
proxy servers very easily because request uses GET.

7. Security
 Can easily be used in the presence of firewalls because
is totally based in HTTP for this reason a sysadmin can
regulate the input/output of the service with simple
and very effective rules.

8. Simplicity
 REST is based upon the Resource Oriented Architecture.
REST services do not require you to design your own
service contracts, because you can rely on HTTP verbs to
describe intent (Create/Read/Update/Delete) . This
radically simplifies your service’s design this
 REST services provide access to resources via a Uniform
Resource Indicator (URI) no other things are required.
 This simplicity makes you save development time
If you save time, you save money!
If launch your product early, you will gate strategic advantage for your product!

9. Simplicity
Typical implementation

10. QUESTIONS?