SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is a lightweight protocol used to create web APIs, usually with Extensible Markup Language (XML) . It is a web communication protocol designed for Microsoft back in 1998, and today, it’s mostly used to expose web services and transmit data over HTTP/HTTPS. SOAP is flexible and independent, which enables developers to write SOAP application programming interfaces (APIs) in different languages while also adding features and functionality.

SOAP is an XML-based protocol consisting of three parts: an envelope, which defines the message structure and how to process it; a set of encoding rules for expressing instances of application-defined datatypes; and a convention for representing procedure calls and responses. The SOAP Envelope encapsulates all the data in a message and identifies the XML document as a SOAP message. The Header element contains additional information about the SOAP message, and the Body element includes the details of the actual message that need to be sent from the web service to the calling application.

SOAP is highly extensible, and it supports a wide range of communication protocols across the internet, including HTTP, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), and Transmission Control Protocol. SOAP is versatile, powerful, and very standardized, but it has several disadvantages that easily tip the scale in favor of REST for the majority of engineers and their organizations.

Regarding soap as a product, biodegradable soap is a type of soap that is free of toxins and harmful chemicals, and it doesnt contain any chemical additives, so the soap suds aren’t as harmful. It is better for the environment since it doesnt contaminate the water through soap suds, which can reduce oxygen penetration into the water, affecting aquatic life. Biodegradable soaps can also be used for composting, resulting in zero wastage.