SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is an XML-based messaging protocol for transferring information.

Learn SOAP APIs

At the end of this guide, you will know the following:

-   What are SOAP APIs?
-   What are the different parts of SOAP APIs?

SOAP is a messaging protocol for transferring information via the internet. SOAP uses XML for exchanging messages.

## What is a SOAP API?

SOAP is a messaging protocol for transferring information via the internet. SOAP uses [XML](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/XML/XML_introduction) for exchanging messages.

A SOAP message is an XML document containing the following parts:

| Name     | Description                                                               | Mandatory |
| -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------- |
| Envelope | The start and the end of the message                                      | Yes       |
| Header   | The optional attributes of the message used in processing the message     | No        |
| Body     | The data comprising the message being sent                                | Yes       |
| Fault    | Provides information about errors that occur while processing the message | No        |

<AnatomyOfSOAPMessage />

## Example of a SOAP API

The following component shows an example of what a SOAP API request and response looks like. Click on the **Send request** button in the component below to understand the syntax of a SOAP API request and response.

<AnatomyOfSOAPRequest />