WEBSVC Communication Driver - Terminologies

Reference the following terminologies to understand the functioning of the WEBSVC Communication Driver.

SOAP

Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) is a XML-based web services access protocol that allows programs that run on disparate operating systems (such as Windows and Linux) to communicate over an HTTP network. For more information about SOAP, see https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms995800.aspx

REST

Representational State Transfer (REST) is a web standards based architecture using the HTTP protocol for data communication. It is used to build web services (RESTful service) that are lightweight, maintainable, and scalable. The data and functionality are considered resources and are accessed using Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs).

URL/URI

A Uniform Resource Locater (URL) or a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is a string of characters (typically, link on the web) that identifies a resource for interaction over a network (World Wide Web or intranet) using specific protocols.

WSDL

Web Services Description Language (WSDL) is an XML-based interface definition language that describes the functionality offered by a web service. WSDL URL is the web link associated with the web service. The web address (or URL) of the web service that supports SOAP connection ends with wsdl. This is used to retrieve the structure of WSDL of the web service.

Web Service Address

Web Service Address is the base address in the primary storage (or main memory) that serves as a reference point for other addresses and memory locations.

Authentication

Authentication is the process in which the credentials provided are compared to those on file in a database of authorized user information on a local operating system or within an authentication server. If the credentials match, the process is completed and the user is granted authorization for access.

The REST interface of the WEBSVC Communication Driver supports basic authentication and OAuth 2.0 (bearer-token) authentication. Different web services support different authentication methods.

• Basic Authentication: Basic authentication relies on a user-provided username and a password. The Communication Driver client sends its stored user name and password to the web service server. If authenticated, the connection and communication are established. This authentication type is supported by more applications and is often simpler to use.

• OAuth 2.0 Authentication: OAuth 2.0 is an open authorization protocol which enables applications to obtain limited access to user accounts on an HTTP/S service, by means of an authentication server.

  Note: The WEBSVC Communication Driver does not support the authentication for SOAP-based web services at the time of this release.