The WSIT Tutorial

What is a Server-Side Endpoint?

Web services expose one or more endpoints to which messages can be sent. A web service endpoint is an entity, processor, or resource that can be referenced and to which web services messages can be addressed. Endpoint references convey the information needed to address a web service endpoint. Clients need to know this information before they can access a service.

Typically, web services package endpoint descriptions and use a WSDL file to share these descriptions with clients. Clients use the web service endpoint description to generate code that can send SOAP messages to and receive SOAP messages from the web service endpoint.