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Understanding Foundational Web Services Architectures: A Comprehensive Review

Adya Mishra
(Independent Researcher)
Virginia, USA
adyamishra29@gmail.com

Abstract—Web services are pivotal in contemporary software development, connecting diverse systems over standardized protocols and enabling data sharing across platforms. From the early days of the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) to the widespread adoption of Representational State Transfer (REST), these foundational architectures have influenced how developers build and deploy distributed applications. In recent years, the rise of microservices has further revolutionized application design by breaking monolithic systems into smaller, loosely coupled services that can scale independently. This article explores the historical progression of these foundational web service architectures, explaining core concepts, highlights, and comparisons. It also examines their practical applications, including considerations for heavily regulated domains such as healthcare. By discussing both established paradigms and emerging approaches, the article provides insight into how these foundational ideas continue to guide modern web service innovation.

Keywords—Web Services Management System, Application Programming Interface, Information Retrieval, Unified Modeling Language