SOAP vs RESTFul

Hi guys..

I am really confusing with web services SOAP and RESTFul.. Which one is better to use..
Following are the points I have inferred from the articles I read on webservices..

1. SOAP uses WSDL but RESTFul doesn't
2. SOAP communicates using XML language.. But RESTFul can communicate with XML,JSON,pure http,other user defined ones..
3. SOAP uses SOAP envelop for sending request and recieving response
4. SOAP supports HTTP,FTP and other protocols.. But RESTFul supports only HTTP
5. RESTFul is faster than SOAP
6. In real view RESTFul is just a webapplication developed with some specialized annotations.. But SOAP is not a web-app
7. With SOAP we can explain about our webservices to the client very well (through WSDL).. But client need to have good view on RESTful webservices before using it..

Please correct me if I wrong (mention point number)..

Thanks in advance..

Rakesh Basani wrote:Hi guys..
I am really confusing with web services SOAP and RESTFul.. Which one is better to use..

It depends on what you want to achieve.

SOAP is usually considered "heavyweight" supporting many advanced features (transactions, security, etc.) but it might be an overkill for some/most applications.

Rakesh Basani wrote:Hi guys..
1. SOAP uses WSDL but RESTFul doesn't

There's WADL for RESTful web services, if you need.

Lots of good introductory and comparative material at http://www.coderanch.com/how-to/java/WebServicesFaq

Is this a homework question? or are you trying to decide which to use in a real project?

SOAP is totally misnamed. It originally meant Simple Object Access Protocol

Its anything but simple. And its all about web-services, which is really remote object invocation. 99% of all sane engineers avoid remote object invocation.

Thnaks for your replies guys..

@Peter : Is this a homework question? or are you trying to decide which to use in a real project? in a real project?

No.. I am using it in real project.. I am developing my webservices in java.. .NET people will use those services..

Can anyone explain me how other lanquages people will use my webservices (example .NET)..

Thanks in advance..

REST is easy. You write a servlet or bean/jsp and run it in a container such as Tomcat, Glassfish, JBoss or whatever you like

You define message that the .NET or other user uses standard HTTP protocol and does GET and POST actions.

You reply with a response message.

No need for any complex remote invocation. No remote objects. Just send messages in text/String format.

I can build a complete REST application in a day. Using SOAP, WSDL and all the rest, will take months.