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What Is Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)?
Service-Oriented Architecture as a framework for software design, allows software components that operate across networks to reutilize and interact through service interfaces without human interference or code modifications.
Take web services created following SOA guidelines as examples: they share common interface standards, so they can communicate without needing human involvement or code modifications to communicate between themselves.
SOA patterns can easily be integrated into new applications as they are independent of platform, product and vendor.
Developers find SOA applications easier to develop as interoperability is no longer a concern between existing apps. Applications written using various programming languages like Java or Microsoft.Net/Cobol can form SOA applications; such applications could even come directly from vendors like SAP.
Each service is typically constructed out of code and data to perform specific business functions, such as the determination of user credit limits or processing loan applications.
Accessing such services is made possible via interfaces specified within contracts between service provider (service consumer) and provider (service provider).
WSDL is an XML-based service specification used to define service interfaces and create service registries used by developers when building business processes or applications.
SOA services can be constructed from scratch thanks to their ability to reuse services via service interfaces; service-oriented architecture (SOA) has long been part of traditional system integration efforts and remains integral.
SOA was first implemented in the 90s. Prior to SOA's advent, developers needed to start from scratch when connecting applications with data in other systems - often leading to complex integration processes and multiple implementation projects.
Now, with SOA in play, developers can reuse existing functionality from different applications via enterprise service bus (ESB), an integral piece of software that aids application integration.
Examples Of SOA Implementation
Many companies in different sectors have implemented SOA due to its importance for the evolution of integration and application development.
Here are a few examples.
- SOA deployment expanded during the 2010s. Delaware Electric, a small cooperative of electric utilities in Delaware, implemented SOA as part of their strategy against competitors like Delmarva Power in order to remain competitive and relevant with them. Thanks to SOA implementation by Delaware Electric, customers could get advice about lowering energy usage with SOA, helping Delaware remain relevant in an ever-evolving energy landscape.
- Cisco provides another notable example. They adopted SOA to deliver an effortless ordering experience across their products and channels; their initiative transformed their ordering process into a service that could easily integrate into both Cisco's website as well as those of their partners' sites.
- Independence Blue Cross of Philadelphia was an insurance provider. SOA was implemented so IBC users (customer service agents and physicians) had access to one central source of patient data - this initiative guaranteed IBC personnel had one single point of truth for patient information.
How Does Service-Oriented Architecture Work?
Let's use an example to comprehend SOA better. A college utilizes a data-oriented setup with batch file transfers between departments for sharing of information.
Let's say the library needs data regarding full-time and part-time students on campus in order to decide if certain individuals may borrow library materials. This data must also include details regarding the total number studying on campus as part of this decision-making process.
The library then queries the department of student records for data. Once received, this data is loaded into their database where smaller subsets such as full-time or part-time students can be quickly located to allow a determination on whether to approve requests.
Note that many institutional departments misinterpret batch transfers, applying their own rules based on their needs.
A sports department might define "current student" as someone who has paid their institutional fee and therefore gained access to all campus facilities, while libraries might define "current student" differently; these variations could cause issues with data accuracy that make information less useful and provide less meaningful results.
Batch file transfer processes tend to be time-consuming and complicated processes prone to error. Since departments segregate their information based on various rules, batch transfers could create different versions of truth in various systems used for the storage of the information.
- SOA provides one source for all information and thus dramatically minimizes chances for misinterpretation, so when libraries request specific details from it, only requested data is sent over; SOA shares this data via web services with departments seeking this info and you can track its path as it travels between systems whereas data-oriented systems copy large files between systems; this method does not allow visibility when transferring large amounts of files between systems such as when loading student records into its database - however.
- SOA helps institutional departments to speed up decision-making processes as it provides accurate information quickly. SOA allows institutions to implement uniform business policies across departments; these will then be stored in a central repository accessible by all. If a student requests access to cricket kits for instance, for instance, sports departments could enter their name and ID into this software in order to determine eligibility before providing said kit(s).
- SOA ensures data privacy and security by only providing relevant information while permitting full visibility of its trail. This feature can provide great peace of mind given that institutional records contain sensitive details like personal details, bank account numbers and contact numbers, as well as social security numbers and financial details that need protection.
Components
SOA typically consists of four major components:
- Service Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) services form the backbone of SOA architecture. Services may either be open source and made accessible to all users or proprietary and only offered to certain individuals or institutions. Each service contains three elements that comprise its performance: code implementation to execute its function, a contract outlining parameters like cost and quality specifications for the performance of services provided, and an interface.
- Service Provider : This component provides or creates the service. Most organizations either develop their own offerings in-house or use third-party providers for this function.
- Service Consumer Service consumers include individuals, systems and applications who make requests for services from service providers and requesters alike. Their agreements establish how interactions should take place.
- Service Registry. Service registries or repositories of services provide an inventory of available services with detailed service descriptions as well as pertinent details on how to utilize them from various service providers.
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The SOA's Major Objectives
Three major SOA objectives are defined, each focusing on a specific part of the lifecycle of an application:
- Service: The goal of this goal: structuring software components or procedures as services. Services are loosely connected with applications, so they may only be utilized when needed and provide software developers with easy ways to develop consistent applications utilizing them.
- Publishing : SOA also serves as a mechanism to publish services, with details on their functionality and input/output needs, so developers can seamlessly incorporate them into their apps.
- Security: Security and Governance Issues. SOA relies heavily on the individual components' protection as part of an architecture, the authentication/identity procedures attached to those components, as well as how well the components work together within that architecture and between themselves to secure themselves.
Principles Of Service-Oriented Architecture
SOA is based on nine design principles. Let's take a look at each principle in detail.
1. Loose coupling
SOA services may be delivered over web services that are less reliant on one another - meaning if one functionality changes, it won't disrupt client applications or stop functioning altogether.
2. Service Abstraction
SOA services tend not to reveal their inner workings in order to ensure security, so in order to reduce risk, it's wise for services to omit client applications from their operation and thus not have to reveal how they implement certain capabilities.
3. Reusability
SOA stands out by virtue of its service reusability; being able to reuse code across various applications saves resources, time and effort by eliminating duplicate work and services built from scratch; instead, you can write web service code that's both reusable and compatible with multiple apps.
4. Autonomy
SOA services should understand their functionality; each service should exercise full control over its code and logic.
5. Service statelessness
SOA services must maintain their stateless nature in order to remain functionally stateless; that means not retaining information when moving between states - this responsibility falls to client applications in this instance.
Imagine an online retailer selling products and using web service prices of items on display when browsing products to display prices of those available for purchase on an order page before being directed toward payment options - an example could include having a web application transfer purchase price to payment page automatically after user adds an item into the cart before redirection back onto payment screen for checkout process.
6. Discoverability
SOA services can easily be discovered thanks to being stored in a registry, similar to how Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration specifications (UDDI) provide guidelines for publishing and discovering web services via registry platforms.
7.Composability
SOA services have long been recognized for helping break down large problems into manageable pieces, so separating services into modules may help further.
Each of the modules should contain different business functionality instead of putting all functions of an app into one service.
8. Interoperability
SOA services must adhere to international and interoperable standards when creating services for subscribers with various kinds of needs, like the ones found within web services (XML standards or HTTP standards, for instance).
This rule of thumb ensures the broadest participation from subscribers across different kinds of service provider subscription models.
Also Read: Designing Software Solutions with a Service-Oriented Architecture
The Pros And Cons Of Service-Oriented Architectural
SOA is a significant improvement over the earlier architectures. Let's look at some of the key benefits of SOA.
- Applications are more quickly available on the market: As previously discussed, SOA is founded upon reusability. Reusing services make the task of building new apps much simpler for developers since rewriting or reintegrating can save them both time and effort on each new project. Furthermore, its rapid design process increases SOA agility as applications can quickly be designed based on new requirements that arise quickly.
- Software design is faster: SOA allows for seamless data and application integration, automating business processes, and speeding up software design and development by spending less time integrating components; instead, they can devote their efforts towards optimizing applications or creating them faster.
- Leverage legacy capabilities : With an effective Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), developers can seamlessly migrate legacy functionality into modern environments. SOA allows businesses to expose older functions for modern use, such as mainframe capabilities.
- Improved collaboration between IT and business teams: An SOA environment enables service definition using business terminology. This terminology makes collaboration possible among stakeholders who may lack as much IT expertise as developers - for instance, discussing how one service defines or impacts another process within an enterprise vertical.
- Reliability: SOA services provide independent functions. Testing and debugging smaller applications is easier than debugging larger chunks of code; thus, the SOA model provides highly dependable services.
- Scalability: SOA Services can run on virtually every platform and programming language imaginable, as well as on multiple servers to increase scalability.
- Easy Maintenance: The SOA framework exists as its entity, and any updates or maintenance can easily be managed without disrupting other SOA services.
SOA has both advantages and disadvantages. We'll look at some of them.
- Increased overhead : Every time an SOA service exchanges data with another service, all input variables must be validated, resulting in increased machine load and delayed response times, ultimately affecting overall system performance.
- Complex Service Management: SOA frameworks must enable services to deliver messages within specified timelines, with services undertaking tasks releasing millions of messages at any given time. SOA frameworks may have difficulty keeping up with such demands on services that need to manage large volumes of communications.
- High Investment Cost: Implementation of SOA requires significant upfront investments in terms of technology, software development process and human resources.
The Rise Of SOA
Software development has relied heavily on modular functional elements for decades.
Each module performs its specific task within an application and must share operations between modules to connect to distributed databases or pools of hosting resources for application integration purposes, meaning enterprises need to adapt their process-based development model with remote components.
With remote procedure calls (RPC), the software could call another process from its location as though it were local, even when that process could reside on another computer, Application, or datacenter.
The RPC model presented two main flaws. First, its open architecture allowed too many variations for customization to take place simultaneously, and secondly it lacked key elements:
- Information flow security can be achieved by using a set of tools that are designed to work together.
- Access rights management to business processes.
- Discover, connect with and message formats of the services themselves.
SOA services have become an essential element in modern cloud computing environments; SOA has long since been replaced.
What Is An Enterprise Service Bus?
SOAs are most frequently implemented using enterprise service buses (ESB). Indeed, SOA and ESB implementation have become so intertwined that many use both terms interchangeably.
An ESB pattern allows centralized software components to integrate seamlessly with other apps - for instance, transforming data models, managing routing/messaging/communication protocol changes, as well as handling requests efficiently and writing them efficiently for delivery to consumers.
An Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) transforms every integration or transformation into service interfaces that new applications can reuse.
Without an ESB, each Application would have to directly access service interfaces and services in order to perform necessary integration or transformation - thus rendering software development project less efficient.
An enterprise services bus enables applications and components within an organization to exchange messages according to policy.
Implementation SOA
SOA architecture is independent of vendors and technologies. Implementation options depend upon what goals the system wishes to accomplish.
SOAs typically utilize web services such as the Simple Object Access Protocol and Web Services Description Language (WSDL).
Windows Communication Foundation, gRPC, and messaging products like Java Message Service ActiveMQ or RabbitMQ may also be considered options.
SOA implementations may use one or multiple protocols and file-system tools for data exchange and transfer. Protocols should remain independent from programming languages and platforms when communicating data between services; independent services that perform tasks in standardized ways without needing information about who called them and the tasks they perform are especially valuable in an SOA setup.
SOA can be found in various applications:
- Military forces use SOA to deploy systems of situational awareness.
- Healthcare organizations use it to improve the delivery of healthcare.
- SOA is used by mobile apps and games to access the built-in features of a device, such as its global positioning system.
- Museums use SOA to create virtualized systems of storage for their content and information.
Also Read: Utilizing Microservices and Service-Oriented Architectures
Web Services And WSDL Models Of SOA
SOA implementations initially relied upon RPC and object broker technologies that became widely available around 2000, although two models for SOA implementation emerged since then:
- Web Services Model. This model employs highly structured management for remote procedures and components. WSDL connects interfaces to services via SOAP; APIs define components or procedures APIs while Web services principles connect applications via an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB), helping businesses integrate applications, increase efficiency, and provide better data governance - though this approach has never become widely popular with developers or adopted.
- REST Model. Representational State Transfer model. Internet technology allows us to access remote-hosted components of applications through RESTful APIs that have low overhead costs and easy learning curves.
What's The Difference Between SOA And Microservices
Before SOA became widespread, RESTful web technologies and the internet took precedence, restricting it primarily to legacy apps built upon Enterprise Service Bussing (ESB).
RESTful thinking transformed services from business processes into software processes; this software-centric approach later came to be known as Microservices.
Cloud web services refer to packages of packaged cloud services offered by providers as part of an effort to ease developers' development of apps using them.
Each public cloud offers many such REST interface-accessible services for developers of apps for the cloud.
Microservices represent the latest evolution in services. They consist of small software components accessed using REST-based interfaces.
Modern practices employ service brokerages as middlemen to verify user rights.
This approach doesn't rely on SOA-esque service repositories or discovery since applications are constructed through microservices and software processes instead.
Application components are linked explicitly rather than being invoked through workflows; microservice discovery instead serves to ensure resilience and scalability - two characteristics essential to cloud computing.
Cloud providers often offer microservice architectures that are serverless and pay-as-you-use; in such cases, a commercial contract would outline performance guarantees and payment terms; internal microservices could even have contracts should IT bill departments for using them.
What's The Difference Between SOA And SaaS?
SaaS (Software as a Service) is an offshoot of cloud computing that enables service providers to offer business applications via a RESTful interface.
SaaS (Software as a Service), another cloud-based development, has made an enormous impactful statement about SOA revolving around its original principles.
SaaS should really be called Application as a Service since its sole aim is supporting business operations from within the cloud; both practices share this trait; both also function similar in that each service provides applications via service contracts that specify service level agreements and pricing levels.
SaaS providers generally provide APIs that facilitate integration between their offerings and business processes within an on-premise data center or another cloud, often adhering to modern API/microservice conventions rather than SOA or web services conventions.
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Conclusion
Service-oriented architecture (SOA) has quickly gained widespread adoption as an approach for software vendors to integrate software functionality through web services.
SOA emphasizes business value, project benefits and business goals over custom integration, instead putting service interoperability first.
SOA models have revolutionized how IT organizations make decisions.
Their use has reduced technical overhead by guaranteeing minimal errors when code changes are being made; SOA also plays a vital role in cloud computing and virtualization via microservices.
Service-Oriented Architecture allows businesses to respond more rapidly and effectively than ever to market fluctuations, providing full control of its processes while solving problems holistically.
SOA should be seen more as gradual evolution than radical revolution - taking some of the best practices from legacy software architectures into account as part of its design.
