In the world of information technology, the role of The Application Programming Interface (API) is increasingly important in allowing various applications to communicate with each other. REST API and SOAP API are two approaches that you can use in developing applications and websites for your company. While they both serve the same purpose, they have fundamental differences in the way they operate and interact with data. For further explanation, check out the article below.

What is API?

API is software tools that can connect one application directly to another application’s data and services through granted access to a specific part of the server. In effect, APIs allow two pieces of software to communicate with each other and they form the basis of several modern applications. To make it easier for you to understand, you can compare it to a restaurant, where the server is the chef, the customer is the web/app visitor, and the waiter is the API.

What is REST API?

REST (Representational State Transfer) is an API that becomes a “service” in a web or application. REST is a set of architectural constraints and not a protocol or standard. The REST API uses URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) and HTTP as well as JSON (Javascript Object Notation) protocols to format data that will be highly compatible with browsers. With REST API, data and functions from one web or application can be used by another, allowing for good integration between them.

What is SOAP?

The SOAP API (Simple Object Access Protocol) allows applications to communicate and transmit messages between different programming languages. SOAP is known to be a more complex form of protocol in data communication and security. In communicating data, this protocol has a primary focus on preventing unauthorized access through WS (web services) security. If your companies are looking for more advanced security features, you can choose SOAP for your web/app services.

Difference between REST and SOAP

Although both REST and SOAP are APIs, they have differences. The difference is that REST API is an architectural style, while SOAP API is a protocol. So, the REST API can utilize the SOAP protocol, just like using HTTP. To make it easier for you to understand, here is a table of differences between REST API and SOAP API quoted from geeksforgeeks,

Best Ways to Monitor API in your Company

After knowing the difference between REST API and SOAP API, you can determine which one is best for your company based on the needs and requirements of your applications and web services. However, to ensure that the API runs optimally, API monitoring is needed. Why? Because monitoring an API is like ensuring that your service is operating properly, data is moving smoothly, and users can get a seamless experience.

You can get the best Web/API monitoring solution by using Netmonk Prime. In one application, Netmonk Prime provides all-in-one monitoring solutions, where you can utilize network monitoring, Web/API monitoring, and server monitoring. Its prominent features are real-time monitoring, real-time notification via Telegram & E-mail, and periodic reporting that can be downloaded in PDF format. If you need more information, you can visit our website.

Reference:

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/difference-between-rest-api-and-soap-api/