SOA : Service-Oriented Architecture

What is Service-Oriented Architecture?
Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is an architectural style. Applications built using an SOA style deliver functionality as services that can be used or reused when building applications or integrating within the enterprise or trading partners. It is a method of design, deployment, and management of both applications and the software infrastructure where:

• All software is organized into business services that are network accessible and executable.
• Service interfaces are based on public standards for interoperability.

Key Characteristics of SOA

• Uses open standards to integrate software assets as services
• Standardizes interactions of services
• Services become building blocks that form business flows
• Services can be reused by other applications
• Quality of service, security and performance are specified
• Software infrastructure is responsible for managing
• Services are catalogued and discoverable
• Data are catalogued and discoverable
• Protocols use only industry standards

What is an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)?

• An enterprise service bus is an infrastructure used for building compound applications
• The enterprise service bus is the glue that holds the compound application together
• The enterprise service bus is an emerging style for integrating enterprise applications in an implementation-independent fashion
• An enterprise service bus can be thought of as an abstraction layer on top of an Enterprise Messaging System

Key Characteristics of an ESB

• Streamlines development
• Supports multiple binding strategies
• Performs data transformation
• Intelligent routing
• Real time monitoring
• Exception handling
• Service security