WSDL File Documentation

Overview

Feature Value
File Extension .wsdl
MIME Type application/wsdl+xml
File Format Type XML
Primary Use Describing web services
Developed By World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
First Introduced 2001
Specification Document W3C WSDL 1.1 Specification
Element Structure Hierarchical
Support for SOAP Yes
Support for HTTP GET/POST Yes
Namespace Support Yes
Binding Mechanisms SOAP, HTTP, MIME, and others
Extensibility Through namespaces and extensions
Message Format Specification Abstract and concrete
Transport Protocol Specification Yes
Service Endpoint Definition Yes
Operation Types One-way, Request-response, Solicit-response, Notification
Data Type System XML Schema
Common Usage Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA)
Security Dependent on protocols and implementations
Compatibility Backward compatible with earlier versions through namespaces