Developing web services choreography standards – the case of REST vs. SOAP

This paper presents a case study of the development of standards in the area of cross-organizational workflows based on web services. We discuss two opposing types of standards; those based on SOAP, with tightly coupled designs similar to remote procedure calls, and those based on REST, with loosely coupled designs similar to the navigating of web links. We illustrate the standardization process, clarify the technical underpinnings of the conflict, and analyze the interests of stakeholders. The decision criteria for each group of stakeholders are discussed. Finally, we present implications for both the workflow and the wider Internet communities.