A SOAP node is the processing logic which operates on a SOAP message.
A SOAP node can:
- transmit a SOAP message
- receive a SOAP message
- process a SOAP message
- relay a SOAP message.
A SOAP node can be:
- SOAP sender
- A SOAP node that transmits a SOAP message.
- SOAP receiver
- A SOAP node that accepts a SOAP message.
- Initial SOAP sender
- The SOAP sender that originates a SOAP message at the starting point of
a SOAP message path.
- SOAP intermediary
- A SOAP intermediary is both a SOAP receiver and a SOAP sender and is targetable
from within a SOAP message. It processes the SOAP header blocks targeted at
it and acts to forward a SOAP message towards an ultimate SOAP receiver.
- Ultimate SOAP receiver
- The SOAP receiver that is a final destination of a SOAP message. It is
responsible for processing the contents of the SOAP body and any SOAP header
blocks targeted at it. In some circumstances, a SOAP message might not reach
an ultimate SOAP receiver, for example because of a problem at a SOAP intermediary.