Release 10.1A: OpenEdge Getting Started:
Application and Integration Services

Who works with Web services?

The people who work with Web services serve three fundamental technical roles:

Web service developers
Deployers
Client developers

For small Web services deployments, within a single intranet for example, the same person might well assume all three basic roles. But it is the separation of function, in part, that makes the same Web services technology useful for both small and large deployments.

Web service developers

The Web service developer is the one who designs and builds a Web service application, including the code that runs on the application server and the Web service interface to that code defined in the WSDL file. This role might split between the one who writes and maintains the application server code and the one who defines and maintains the WSDL file, especially if the Web service developer is enabling an existing server application as a Web service.

Deployers

The Web service deployer is the person who hosts and makes the Web service and its definition (WSDL file) available to established or potential Web service clients. Often, the same person also maintains the Web service provider environment (see Figure 6–1) that hosts the Web service on the Internet (or an intranet).

Client developers

The Web service client developer is essentially the user of the Web service, the person who develops a client application to use a Web service based on the definition provided by a WSDL file they obtain from a Web service deployer. The client developer ensures that the Web service they choose for their application uses a SOAP message format supported by their own Web service client technology. They also ensure that they have the necessary documentation (often supplied by the Web service deployer) that explains the client programming model required by the Web service they are using.