What is SOAP Web Service?

SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is a messaging protocol specification for exchanging structured information in the implementation of web services in computer networks. It relies on XML for its message format, and often uses other application layer protocols such as HTTP or SMTP for message transmission and negotiation. SOAP can be used for broadcasting a message, requesting a document, or invoking a remote procedure call. Although newer and simpler API approaches like REST are more popular, SOAP is still used, especially in enterprise environments that require strong security and transaction management capabilities.