Web Services Acronyms, Demystified

The Web services architecture is implemented through the layering of several types of technologies. These technologies can be organized into the following four layers that build upon one another:

DiscoveryDescriptionPackaging/ExtensionsTransport

Each layer of the Web services stack addresses a separate business problem, such as security, reliable messaging, transactions, routing, workflow and so on. Addressing the need for standardization in this field, several players have come up with a set of specifications that serve as the foundation for their own versions of a comprehensive Web services architecture: Microsoft with its "Global XML Web Services Architecture", IBM and the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) with the "Web Services Component Model" (WSCM), Sun with its "Open Net Environment" (SUN ONE) and HP with its "Services Framework Specification".

Let's wade through a bit of the acronym soup first to get a sense of the breadth and scope of the proposals floating around right now, and then we'll map those protocols to the architecture stacks being pushed by some of the companies.

Transport

• DIME (Direct Internet Message Encapsulation)
  A lightweight, binary message format designed to encapsulate one or more application-defined payloads into a single message construct;
• HTTPR (Reliable HTTP)
  A protocol that offers the reliable delivery of HTTP packets between the server and client;

Packaging and Extensions

• SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)
  A lightweight XML-based protocol for exchange of information in a decentralized, distributed environment;
• SOAP-DSIG (SOAP Security Extensions: Digital Signature)
  A SOAP extension to use XML Digital signature syntax in SOAP messages;
• SWA (SOAP Messages with Attachments)
  A binding for SOAP message to be carried within a MIME multipart/related message;
• WS-License (Web Services License Language)
  A SOAP extension for the description of encoding commonly used license types; specifically, X.509 certificates and Kerberos tickets, as well as arbitrary binary credentials;
• WS-Referral (Web Services Referral Protocol)
  A SOAP-based protocol that enables the routing strategies used by SOAP nodes in a message path to be dynamically configured;
• WS-Routing (Web Services Routing Protocol)
  A SOAP extension for routing SOAP messages in an asynchronous manner;
• WS-Security (Web Services Security Language)
  A SOAP extension that enable secure interactions between Web services providing credential exchange, message integrity, and message confidentiality;

Description

• WSCL (Web Services Conversation Language)
  An XML format for the description of the sequences of legal message exchanges (interactions) that Web services can exchange;
• WSCM (Web Services Component Model)
  A component model that defines mechanism for packaging the display components of a Web service;
• WSDL (Web Services Description Language)
  An XML format for the description of network services as a set of endpoints operating on messages containing either document-oriented or procedure-oriented information;
• WSEL (Web Services Endpoint Language)
  An XML format for the description of non-operational characteristics of service endpoints, like quality-of-service, cost or security properties;
• WSFL (Web Services Flow Language)
  An XML format for the description of Web Services compositions that specify usage and interaction patterns;
• WSML (Web Services Meta Language)
  An XML format for the description of the information that maps the operations of a service to specific methods in the COM object;
• WSXL (Web Services Experience Language)
  A Web services centric component model for interactive Web applications;
• WSUI (Web Services User Interface)
  A component model for adding presentation and multistage interaction to XML and SOAP-based network services;
• XLANG (Web Services for Business Process Design)
  An XML format for the description of message exchange behavior among participating Web services;

Discovery

• UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration)
  An XML-based framework to enable businesses to discover each other, define how they interact and share information in global registry;
• USML (UDDI Search Markup Language)
  An XML-based protocol for carrying a search request, including multiple queries, key words, UDDI sources, and aggregation operators;
• WS-Inspection (Web Services Inspection Language)
  An XML format for assisting in the inspection of a site for available services and a set of rules for how inspection related information should be made available for consumption.

As you can see, the picture is quite complex! To make things even more confusing, some of these specifications define extensions for SOAP messages (WS-Routing, WS-Security, WS-License and SOAP-DSIG), some define packaging format (SWA, DIME), some define SOAP-based protocol (UDDI and WS-Referral) or XML-based protocol (USML), and others define an XML format for service description or orchestration (WSDL, WSEL, WSFL, WSUI and the rest).

Now for the most interesting part: how do all of these acronyms fit into the big picture? Let's look at a couple of the architecture stacks that are being promoted.

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