nodejs-soap-example

This project demonstrates a simple SOAP API implementation using Node.js with a web client.

Architecture

sequenceDiagram
    participant Client as Browser Client
    participant Server as Node.js SOAP Server

    Client->>Server: HTTP POST /hello (SOAP Request)
    Note over Client,Server: Content-Type: text/xml<br/>SOAPAction: Hello
    Server->>Server: Parse SOAP Envelope
    Server->>Server: Execute Hello Service
    Server-->>Client: SOAP Response (XML)
    Note over Client,Server: HTTP 200 OK<br/>greeting: Hello, [name]!

    Client->>Server: GET /hello?wsdl
    Server-->>Client: WSDL Document (XML)

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How It Works

Server Side (index.js)

1. HTTP Server: Creates a basic Node.js HTTP server that listens on port 8000
2. SOAP Service: The soap library attaches a SOAP service to the /hello endpoint
3. WSDL: The Web Services Description Language (WSDL) defines the service contract - what operations are available and their input/output formats
4. Service Implementation: The Hello function receives the name parameter and returns a greeting object

Client Side (index.html)

1. SOAP Envelope: The browser constructs a SOAP XML envelope with the user's input
2. HTTP POST: Sends the XML to http://localhost:8000/hello with headers:
   • Content-Type: text/xml - identifies the body as XML
   • SOAPAction: Hello - specifies which operation to invoke
3. Response Parsing: The browser parses the XML response and extracts the greeting element

SOAP Message Flow

1. Client builds XML request → 2. HTTP POST to server → 3. Server parses XML → 4. Server executes service logic → 5. Server returns XML response → 6. Client displays result

Features

• SOAP Server: Simple Node.js SOAP service with one operation
• Operation: Hello - returns a greeting message
• WSDL: Web Services Description Language document
• Web Client: Basic HTML client to test the SOAP API

Quick Start

1. Install Dependencies

pnpm install

2. Start the Server

pnpm start

3. Access the Application

• Client UI: http://localhost:8000/
• SOAP Endpoint: http://localhost:8000/hello
• WSDL: http://localhost:8000/hello?wsdl

API Operation

Operation	Parameters	Description
Hello	name (string)	Returns a greeting message

Example SOAP Request

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<soap:Envelope xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"
               xmlns:tns="http://example.com/hello">
  <soap:Body>
    <tns:HelloRequest>
      <name>World</name>
    </tns:HelloRequest>
  </soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>

Example SOAP Response

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<soap:Envelope xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/">
  <soap:Body>
    <HelloResponse>
      <greeting>Hello, World!</greeting>
    </HelloResponse>
  </soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>