Service Interface Design

I define a “service” as logical grouping of discrete components you interact with via message exchanges. When building services employing an interface that exposes any native object schema nails you to a specific language set. (at least on the implementation side of things). The goal should be create a universally accessible messaging apparatus that permits a service to process requests irrespective of its language base. The best approach is to allow publishers and consumers of the message to work with their own view of a request.

In a pure messaging model, a message should be self describing which means you can't possibly know what the contents are until you get it. Upon receipt the message is analyzed and processed in context. An intermediate layer can mediate the request if needed.

The Verdit. - “String In – String Out”.

Notice that I didn't say XML in - XML out. XML could be the structure but the fact that the format is XML is happenstance.