SOAP

XML-based RPC protocol, designed at Microsoft in 1998, peaked in mid-2000s. Replaced by REST for most public APIs, but lives on in banking, telecom, government, healthcare, and other “enterprise” domains. For Python developers, SOAP usually means consuming someone else’s existing service rather than designing a new one.

For comparison with REST/GraphQL/gRPC, see ../00_api_protocols_comparison.md.

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