Web Services and Zend Framework

Abstract

Over the past few years web services in the fabric of Internet application development have grown from a useful technology to a cornerstone of enterprise development. A wide range of technologies and protocols has emerged. From heavier (complex) technologies such as Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) to lightweight protocols such as JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), no clear winner has emerged, resulting in a great deal of confusion as to how best to execute a plan to develop a service-oriented architecture. History tells us that as with all technologies, it may be quite a while before a clear winner takes the throne. Thankfully however, with a little preplanning and Zend Framework it is more than possible to create an architecture that can service all of them.