Introduction to WSDL

WSDL is an XML-based language for describing Web services and how to access them.

What You Should Already Know

Before you continue you should have a basic understanding of the following:

• XML
• XML Namespaces
• XML Schema

If you want to study these subjects first, find the tutorials on our Home page.

What is WSDL?

• WSDL stands for Web Services Description Language
• WSDL is written in XML
• WSDL is an XML document
• WSDL is used to describe Web services
• WSDL is also used to locate Web services
• WSDL is a W3C recommendation

WSDL Describes Web Services

WSDL stands for Web Services Description Language.

WSDL is a document written in XML. The document describes a Web service. It specifies the location of the service and the operations (or methods) the service exposes.

WSDL is a W3C Recommendation

WSDL became a W3C Recommendation 26. June 2007.

You can read more about the XML Schema standard in our W3C tutorial.

Free Online Website Builder - No Downloading Needed

Create a free Flash website with our simple, online web design editing platform. Stunning templates and user-friendly tools make website building easy and fun.

Start Creating your free website now!

Altova® MapForce®
Graphical XML Mapping Tool from the Developers of XMLSpy®

Need an easy way to get data into XML, or transform XML to another format? MapForce lets you map XML data to/from any combination of XML, database, flat file, Excel 2007, XBRL, or Web services data. Then it transforms data instantly or auto-generates royalty-free code for recurrent conversions. New features in Version 2010!

Easy-to-use, graphical data mapping interface Instant data transformation XSLT 1.0/2.0 and XQuery code generation Java, C#, and C++ code generation Advanced data processing functions Support for all major relational databases including SQL Server, IBM DB2, Oracle, and more Visual Studio & Eclipse integration Available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions Download a fully-functional trial today!