What is SOAP/XML?

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 typically uses other application layer protocols, most notably HTTP or SMTP, for message transmission and negotiation. SOAP is often used in enterprise applications where a more formal and standardized approach to web service communication is required, offering features like security, reliability, and transaction management. It defines a standard way to package XML data for transmission and specifies how to encode HTTP headers and other information.