Title: Comparative analysis of SOAP and REST for optimising web services in mobile weather forecast applications: evaluating performance and scalability

Authors: Ermira Daka; Valon Januzi

Addresses: Department of Computer Science, University for Business and Technology UBT, Pristina, Kosovo ' Departement of Computer Science, Univeristy for Business and Technology UBT, Pristina, Kosovo

Abstract: Web services enable communication between applications over internet using standardised protocols. As web usage increases, reducing latency and managing errors are crucial for reliable real-time data retrieval. SOAP and REST are two widely used methods for building and consuming web services. While existing research examines the efficiency of web services in data transfer, it often overlooks the impact of varying conditions on performance. This study performs a comparative analysis of SOAP and REST, using a mobile application that retrieves meteorological data from the OpenWeatherMap API. It evaluates the protocols based on performance, reliability and user experience. Results indicate that while REST offers faster response times and better handling of concurrency, SOAP provides greater stability and reliability, especially for consistent data retrieval. While both protocols perform similarly, REST is more efficient in high-traffic, and SOAP excels in stable conditions. Each protocol's suitability varies depending on the application's needs and user requirements.

Keywords: web; SOAP; REST; communication protocol; API.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIPT.2024.145123

International Journal of Internet Protocol Technology, 2024 Vol.17 No.2, pp.101 - 109

Received: 26 Aug 2024
Accepted: 21 Oct 2024
Published online: 19 Mar 2025 *

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