Tutorial: Creating a SOAP API

This tutorial shows you how to create an API definition by using a SOAP service Web Service Definition Language (WSDL). This API definition simplifies creating and managing access to the SOAP service.

About this tutorial

Follow this tutorial to create an API in API Manager by importing the WSDL for an existing SOAP service. Both SOAP 1.1 and SOAP 1.2 standards are supported by API Connect. When invoked, the API takes a SOAP request from the API caller and uses it to make its own request to the SOAP service. The API then returns the response of the SOAP service. In this tutorial, the SOAP service returns the balance of a fictional bank account for a particular user.

In this tutorial you will complete the following lessons:
  1. Creating a SOAP API
  2. Testing your SOAP API

Before you begin

Note: The Sandbox catalog must be configured to use either a DataPower® API Gateway, or a DataPower Gateway (v5 compatible), or both. See Creating and configuring Catalogs.

Creating a SOAP API

To create an API for an existing SOAP service, complete the following steps.

  1. Download the SOAP WSDL file AccountService.txt. Rename this file AccountService.wsdl.
  2. Log in to the API Manager UI.
  3. Click the Develop APIs and Products tile.

    API Manager screen

  4. Click Add > API.

    API add menu

  5. Ensure that OpenAPI 2.0 is selected.
  6. Select From existing WSDL service (SOAP proxy). Click Next.

    WSDL confirmation screen

  7. In the File Upload section, either drag and drop the AccountService.wsdl file, or click to upload from your filesystem.

    WSDL file upload screen

  8. The file uploads, and is parsed by API Connect. A confirmation message is displayed. Click Next to continue.
  9. Select the AccountService WSDL service, and click Next.

    WSDL Service screen

  10. Leave the values unchanged in the Info section, and click Next.

    API info

  11. In the Secure section, select the Limit API calls on a per key basis checkbox, and in the Activate API section, select the Activate API checkbox. Click Next.

    API Security and Publishing

  12. A Summary screen is now displayed, showing the steps to create and publish your new API. When this process is complete, you see a summary of the results, including the API Base Endpoint, and the credentials of the Sandbox Test Application that is automatically subscribed to the new API.

    Summary of results (top)

  13. Click Edit API. Your new SOAP API is now online.

    API Info page

You successfully created a SOAP API, and included it in a Product and Plan. The WSDL file provided all the information that was needed to configure the API inputs and response.

Testing your SOAP API

Note: Due to Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) restrictions, the assembly test tool cannot be used with the Chrome or Safari browsers on the macOS Catalina platform.

To test your SOAP API, complete the following steps.

  1. Click the Assemble tab of the AccountService API, to move to the Assemble view, and then click the Test icon The Test icon.

    Assemble view Note that the policy for the API is an Invoke policy if you are using the DataPower API Gateway, and is a Proxy policy if you are using the DataPower Gateway (v5 compatible). For more information about policies, see Built-in policies.

    Also note that the test panel is being deprecated, and will be moved to the Test tab in a future release.

  2. The Test panel opens, and you can see that the default Product and Plan that are needed for the test setup are listed.

    Test pane

  3. In the Operation section, select the post /getBalance operation to invoke.

    Select operation

  4. Scroll down to the Parameters section, and enter the following request body into the Body field:
    <SOAP-ENV:Envelope xmlns:SOAP-ENV="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"><SOAP-ENV:Header></SOAP-ENV:Header><SOAP-ENV:Body><ban:getBalance xmlns:ban="https://apictutorials.mybluemix.net/">
  <arg0>3</arg0>
</ban:getBalance></SOAP-ENV:Body></SOAP-ENV:Envelope>
    This request body requests the balance of the account identified by the arg0 node, and is the same as would normally be passed to the SOAP endpoint. However, unlike the SOAP service, the API requires identification by using a Client ID, which is enforced by the gateway server.

    Request body

  5. Click Invoke to test the API. The API response is displayed in the Response section. If you receive a message relating to an untrusted certificate, click the link provided, accept the certificate, then return to the test environment and click Invoke again.

    Invoke test response

    The Response section successfully returns the balance of the account.

What you did in this tutorial

In this tutorial, you completed the following activities:

  • Created a SOAP API definition.
  • Tested your SOAP API.