REST API Design vs SOAP

Developers should learn REST API Design when building web services that need to be consumed by multiple clients (e meets developers should learn soap when working with enterprise-level systems, legacy applications, or scenarios requiring strict security, reliability, and transactional support, such as in financial services or healthcare. Here's our take.

REST API Design

Nice Pick

Developers should learn REST API Design when building web services that need to be consumed by multiple clients (e

Pros

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• Related to: http-protocol, api-documentation

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

SOAP

Developers should learn SOAP when working with enterprise-level systems, legacy applications, or scenarios requiring strict security, reliability, and transactional support, such as in financial services or healthcare

Pros

• It is particularly useful for integrating heterogeneous systems where standardized, platform-independent communication is critical, and when using WS-* standards for features like encryption and message routing
• Related to: xml, wsdl

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. REST API Design is a concept while SOAP is a protocol. We picked REST API Design based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

REST API Design wins

Based on overall popularity. REST API Design is more widely used, but SOAP excels in its own space.