Veebiserv

Veebiserv (Estonian for "web service") is a term used in information technology to describe a software component exposed over a network to be consumed by other software. It represents a service oriented to machine-to-machine communication, not a human-operated interface, and is defined by a contract that specifies accessible operations and data structures.

Most veebiservs are accessed over HTTP and implemented as RESTful services or SOAP-based services. RESTful veebiservs model resources at URLs and use standard HTTP methods; SOAP services rely on XML envelopes and formal contracts described by WSDL. Data is commonly exchanged as JSON or XML, with the interface described by documents such as OpenAPI for REST or WSDL for SOAP to enable client generation and testing.

Deployment may be on premises, in the cloud, or as a managed service. Security considerations include transport security via TLS and authentication/authorization methods such as API keys, OAuth 2.0, or mutual TLS. Reliability features may include retries, idempotency, and versioning of the API to avoid breaking changes.

Web services enable integration between disparate systems, supporting tasks such as data synchronization, remote procedure calls, or access to application functionality. They are widely used in enterprise software, e-commerce, and government digital services. In Estonia and many other countries, web services are a core part of digital infrastructure, often accessed through secure networks and service registries.