# SOAP Transaction Overview

This topic provides an overview of how the Expere Document Services (EDS) Web service uses Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP).

## About SOAP

SOAP provides a communication layer for applications using protocols such as HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and defines the format of messages sent from one machine to another.

The SOAP specification defines the structure of a request and response. Requests and responses are formatted in a SOAP envelope included in the HTTP-POST message. The syntax of the message is defined by the SOAP standard.

## Expere Document Services and SOAP

In the EDS platform, a SOAP message is XML sent using the HTTP protocol. All transactions with the EDS platform are HTTP post messages with well-formatted eXtensible Markup Language (XML) adhering to the SOAP. SOAP utilizes XML as an encapsulation mechanism for request and response messages, typically between Web services.

The EDS platform infrastructure is built upon the Microsoft .NET Framework, which simplifies object transformation into SOAP messages and back into objects. This process of object serialization and de-serialization provides a standard data exchange mechanism between various Web services. The major languages and frameworks used in developing Web-based software today have some level of support for implementing SOAP.