Service Oriented Architecture
Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a software design approach where applications are built as a collection of loosely coupled, interoperable services. Each service is a self-contained unit of functionality that communicates with other services through well-defined interfaces, typically using standard protocols like HTTP/SOAP or REST. This architecture enables modularity, reusability, and flexibility in enterprise systems.
Developers should learn SOA when building large-scale, distributed systems that require integration across different platforms or need to scale independently. It is particularly useful in enterprise environments where business processes must be decomposed into reusable services, such as in banking, e-commerce, or healthcare applications. SOA helps reduce redundancy, improve maintainability, and support agile development by allowing services to be developed, deployed, and updated separately.