What Web protocols do ArcWeb Services use?
ArcWeb Services are deployed through Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), a set of Internet standards utilizing hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) and Extensible Markup Language (XML). SOAP is used because it can communicate with any application that can connect to the Web and understands XML. ArcWeb Services use SOAP to communicate so they are compatible with many Web service toolkits. For more information on how ArcWeb Services use SOAP and other Web protocols, see Understanding ArcWeb Services: An Overview for Developers (PDF).