A set of functions that can be invoked by other programs. An API provides a standard way to access the publicly available services of a software system.

JMS (Java Message Service)

A standard set of interfaces to Message Oriented EAI Software Components, such as TIBCO. The standard was published by Sun Microsystems, Inc.

XML (eXtensible Markup Language)

A standard format for representing hierarchical data. The World Wide Web Consortium published the standard.

SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)

A lightweight XML-based protocol for exchange of information in a decentralized, distributed environment. The SOAP 1.1 standard was published by the W3C.

SOAP RPC (SOAP Remote Procedure Call)

A SOAP-formatted request for information coupled with a SOAP-formatted response to the request. The SOAP 1.1 standard contains more details about SOAP RPCs..