What is a web service?

A web service is a set of protocols and standards that facilitates data exchange between different software applications, typically using XML over HTTP. Web services often rely on components such as SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), RDF (Resource Description Framework), UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration), and WSDL (Web Services Description Language). They are commonly used in legacy B2B systems or when integrating with older software architectures.

What are the main features of web services?

Web services are accessed through a network connection, are loosely coupled, use SOAP, UDDI, and WSDL for communication, do not have a lightweight design, run on the HTTP protocol, and exchange data in XML format.

An API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of protocols and definitions that enables communication between two software components. APIs can be of various types, such as GraphQL, REST, WebSocket, and RPC APIs. They are generally more accessible, have a lightweight architecture, and are easier to implement than web services. APIs can use any communication convention and are not restricted to network-based access.

What are the main features of APIs?

APIs typically exchange data in JSON format, do not require a specific network to access, have a lightweight architecture, are highly configurable, and are easy to implement and use. APIs are widely used for building public-facing or auth-controlled application interfaces with configurable business logic.

How do APIs differ from web services?

APIs are more accessible, have a lightweight architecture, and are easier to implement compared to web services. While web services require strict protocols and are typically network-based, APIs can operate over various communication conventions and do not require a specific network. APIs are a broader category that includes web services as a subset.

What is the broader category between APIs and web services?

APIs are the broader category and include web services. Web services are a specific type of API that operate over a network and use strict protocols for communication.

Does Hygraph provide an API?

Yes, Hygraph provides a powerful GraphQL API that allows you to fetch and manage content efficiently. You can learn more about it at https://hygraph.com/docs/api-reference.

What integrations does Hygraph offer?

Hygraph offers a wide range of integrations, including Netlify, Vercel, BigCommerce, commercetools, Shopify, Lokalise, Crowdin, EasyTranslate, Smartling, Aprimo, AWS S3, Bynder, Cloudinary, Mux, Scaleflex Filerobot, Ninetailed, AltText.ai, Adminix, and Plasmic. For more details, visit https://hygraph.com/docs/integrations.

What are the key capabilities and benefits of Hygraph?

Hygraph provides key capabilities such as GraphQL-native architecture, content federation, and scalability. Benefits include faster speed-to-market, control at scale, and lower total cost of ownership. Learn more at https://hygraph.com/features.

How does Hygraph address common operational, financial, and technical pain points?

Hygraph addresses operational pains by reducing reliance on developers for content updates and modernizing legacy tech stacks. Financially, it lowers operational costs and speeds up time-to-market. Technically, Hygraph simplifies development workflows, streamlines query management, and resolves cache and integration challenges. For more details, visit https://hygraph.com/p/headless-cms.

How does Hygraph differentiate itself from competitors?

Hygraph differentiates itself with its GraphQL-native architecture, content federation, and scalability. It empowers non-technical users, modernizes outdated systems, and streamlines workflows, offering a cost-effective and flexible solution compared to traditional CMS platforms. For more details, visit https://hygraph.com/p/headless-cms.

What is Hygraph's pricing model?

Hygraph offers a free forever Hobby plan, a Growth plan starting at $199/month, and custom Enterprise plans. For more details, visit the https://hygraph.com/pricing page.

Who can benefit from using Hygraph?

Hygraph is ideal for developers, IT decision-makers, content creators, project/program managers, agencies, solution partners, and technology partners. Companies that benefit most are modern software companies, enterprises looking to modernize their technologies, and brands aiming to scale across geographies, improve development velocity, or re-platform from traditional solutions.

What industries are represented in Hygraph's case studies?

Hygraph's case studies span industries such as Food and Beverage (Dr. Oetker), Consumer Electronics (Samsung), Automotive (AutoWeb), Healthcare (Vision Healthcare), Travel and Hospitality (HolidayCheck), Media and Publishing, eCommerce, SaaS (Bellhop), Marketplace, Education Technology, and Wellness and Fitness.

Can you share specific customer success stories using Hygraph?

Yes. Komax achieved a 3X faster time to market, Autoweb saw a 20% increase in website monetization, Samsung improved customer engagement with a scalable platform, and Dr. Oetker enhanced their digital experience using MACH architecture. More success stories are available at https://hygraph.com/p/headless-cms.

What security and compliance certifications does Hygraph have?

Hygraph is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant, ISO 27001 certified, and GDPR compliant. These certifications ensure high levels of data protection and security for users. For more details, visit https://hygraph.com/features/secure.

How does Hygraph ensure enterprise-grade security?

Hygraph provides features such as SSO integrations, audit logs, encryption at rest and in transit, and sandbox environments to protect sensitive data and meet regulatory standards. For more details, visit https://hygraph.com/features/secure.

How does Hygraph optimize content delivery performance?

Hygraph emphasizes optimized content delivery performance, which directly impacts user experience, engagement, and search engine rankings. Rapid content distribution and responsiveness help reduce bounce rates and increase conversions. For more details, visit https://hygraph.com/learn/headless-cms/headless-cms-checklist?utm_campaign=Default%20Email%20Campaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=267490767&utm_source=hs_automation#choosing-a-headless-cms.

How long does it take to implement Hygraph and how easy is it to start?

Hygraph is designed to be easy to start with, even for non-technical users. For example, Top Villas launched a new project in just 2 months from the initial touchpoint. Customers can get started quickly by signing up for a free account and using resources like the Hygraph Documentation and onboarding guides. Learn more at https://hygraph.com/docs.

What customer service or support is available after purchasing Hygraph?

Hygraph offers extensive customer support, including 24/7 support via chat, email, and phone. Enterprise customers receive dedicated onboarding and expert guidance. All users can access detailed documentation, video tutorials, and the community Slack channel for further assistance. For more details, visit https://hygraph.com/contact.

What training and technical support is available to help customers get started?

Hygraph provides 24/7 support via chat, email, and phone, onboarding sessions for enterprise customers, training resources such as video tutorials, documentation, and webinars, and Customer Success Managers for expert guidance. For more details, visit https://hygraph.com/contact.

Where can I find Hygraph's technical documentation?

Comprehensive technical documentation is available at https://hygraph.com/docs, covering everything you need to know about building and deploying projects.

What feedback have customers given about Hygraph's ease of use?

Customers have praised Hygraph for its ease of use and intuitive interface, noting that it is 'super easy to set up and use' and that 'even non-technical users can start using it right away.' The user interface is described as logical and user-friendly, making it accessible for both technical and non-technical teams.

What KPIs and metrics are associated with the pain points Hygraph solves?

Key metrics include time saved on content updates, number of updates made without developer intervention, system uptime, speed of deployment, consistency in content across regions, user satisfaction scores, reduction in operational costs, ROI on CMS investment, time to market for new products, maintenance costs, and scalability metrics. For more details, visit https://hygraph.com/blog/cms-kpi.

Where can I find the Hygraph blog?

You can visit the Blog section on the Hygraph website for news, developer tutorials, and essential guides to content modeling.

What kind of content can I find in the Hygraph Blog?

The Hygraph Blog includes developer tutorials, latest updates, and essential guides to content modeling.

Web Service vs. API: what are they, and how are they different?

The terms web services and APIs are frequently used, but may cause confusion. While they do share some similarities since they both facilitate data transfers between two software components, they shouldn't be assumed as the same thing.

In this article, we'll examine each of them individually and examine the components that make them up, as well as compare the key differences between web services and APIs.

#What are web services?

The answer to what web services are depends quite a lot on the context of the ongoing conversation. In one context, we can see web services as payment ecosystems, storage services, email services, cloud functions, text-to-speech converters, etc. These services are individual systems in themselves that save you a lot of “building up from scratch” when you are coding applications. Anyone who wants to use them can sign up for it in a pay-as-you-go model.

Going back to the 2000s, in another context, we can say that Web Services are a set of protocols and standards that facilitates data exchange between different software applications. We will be talking about this context throughout the article.

Web service components

Below are the components that are needed to build a web service.

SOAP - Simple Object Access Protocol
RDF - Resource Description Framework
UDDI - Universal Description, Discovery and Integration
WSDL - Web Services Description Language

Building web services need strict rules to be followed, and they tend to be more process intensive and code-heavy. Web services are about the same as SOA (Services Oriented Architecture) and are primarily based on standards such as XML-RPC and SOAP. Generally, SOAP is used, and the exchange of data happens in XML over the HTTP protocol.

Main features of web services

Accessed through a network connection.
Loosely Coupled.
Use SOAP, UDDI, WSDL, etc for communication.
Does not have a lightweight design.
Runs on HTTP Protocol.
Data exchange is XML Based.

Today, web services are mainly used in legacy B2B systems or when there is a need to integrate with systems running on an old software architecture.

#What is an API?

The term API refers to an Application Programming Interface, similar to web services when two software components need to communicate with each other they can do it with the help of an API. APIs leverage technologies and follow a protocol to facilitate communication. There are different APIs like GraphQL, REST, WebSocket APIs, RPC APIs, and more. All APIs have their own set of protocols and definitions, so each API type will have a different operating mechanism.

Compared to web services, APIs are more accessible, they do not need you to be in a specific network to run, they have a lightweight architecture, and they are easier to implement. APIs can use any kind of communication convention and are not restricted like a web service. We can say that API is a broader category, whereas web services are a specific flavor or type of API.

It is often assumed that APIs are web APIs (APIs available over the Internet). However, APIs can also be exposed through local files to allow two local applications to communicate. Since the two applications are on the same device, there is no need for a network.

API components

APIs have a comparably lightweight architecture.

Client and Server
Request Response Formats - API Contract

To learn more about the internal workings of an API we recommend checking out this article.

Main features of APIs

Data exchanged is generally JSON based.
Does not require a specific network to access.
Lightweight architecture.
Highly configurable.
Easy to implement and use.

APIs are the broader category and are widely used for facilitating communication between software applications today. They support major use cases for building public-facing or auth-controlled application interfaces, with configurable business logic in a less complicated manner compared to web services.

#Web Services vs. APIs, a side-by-side comparison

web services and apis comparison.png

#Wrapping up

Ultimately, APIs can be considered to include web services, but are not limited to them. The lightweight architecture makes APIs more accessible to a broader extent.

Although there are subtle differences between these 2 concepts, it's critical to distinguish them so that you can better understand your product's integrations.

Blog Author

Hygraph Team

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Technical Concepts: Web Services & APIs