A web service is the way of communication between two or more applications developed for different platforms. These services are independent of browsers and operating systems which make easy communication with enhanced performance to target more users. This service can be as easy as a function, a collection of standards, or protocols that are deployed on the server. It is a communication between a client and server or communication between two devices through network. Let's say we developed a service in Java and published it on the internet. Now, this service can be consumed by any Java-based applications, but more importantly, any .NET, Linux, Python-based applications can also consume it with the same ease. This communication is done through a set of XML-based messages over the HTTP protocol.