Definition languages for RESTful Web services: WADL vs. WSDL 2.0

Level: Introductory

Contributors: IBM

19 Jun 2008

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There are two specifications for describing interfaces of HTTP-based Web applications: Web Application Description Language (WADL) and the Web Services Description Language (WSDL) 2.0 HTTP binding extension. These two languages are very similar, but there are some differences. This white paper (see below) provides an unbiased, objective comparison of the two technologies, highlighting both the differences and similarities between WADL and the WSDL 2.0 HTTP binding.

Introduction to the white paper

This white paper offers an unbiased comparison of WADL and WSDL and how they relate to the expression of a Representational State Transfer (REST)-style service interaction. It also describes the substantive differences between the two.

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Resources

• Participate in the discussion forum.
  
  
• Read the Web Application Description Language (WADL) spec [PDF].
  
  
• Read "Representational State Transfer (REST)" by Roy Thomas Fielding, seminal work on REST.
  
  
• Check out several helpful WSDL specifications:
  • WSDL Version 2.0, Part 0: Primer
  • WSDL Version 2.0, Part 1: Core Language
  • WSDL Version 2.0, Part 2: Adjuncts
  
  
• Check out JSR 224: Java API for XML-Based Web Services (JAX-WS) 2.0 and JSR 311: JAX-RS: The Java API for RESTful Web Services.
  
  
• Be sure to take advantage of the WADL spec, Web Application Description Language (WADL) - Specification and Tools.
  

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