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REST vs. WS-*

Stefan Tilkov,

For once, the debate centers around REST vs. WS-* (which makes more sense to me than REST vs. SOAP). It’s the same old permathread, though. This guy has something to say:

Hi there. My name’s Rusty, and I’m an air conditioning tech.

Not bad. Anne Thomas Manes has written a long and thoughtful entry about REST vs. WS-, pitching the Harmony Solution: REST has its uses, WS- has its uses, use whatever is appropriate. I find it hard to articulate the problem I have with this view — I agree to some degree and will use either one … but I fundamentally disagree with two assertions: that REST is for simple things only, and that the automation behind Web services (as it is done today) simplifies anything.