What is the difference between remote procedure call and web service?

Question

Is there any clear definition of RPC and Web Service? A quick wikipedia search shows:

RPC: Remote procedure call (RPC) is an Inter-process communica

Answer 1

• Data is formatted for transfer using XML, improving or eliminating marshalling, unmarshalling, and various other translation-related requirements normally coded by a developer. • Data is passed using standardized protocols such as HTTP or SMTP, which have published well-defined standards. • The underlying exposed service is well-defined using a known accepted mechanism, WSDL. • Services are found using a well-defined standard, UDDI, and the more advanced ebXML.

Specifically WSDL provides a number of key pieces of information:

• A definition of the format of the messages that are passed between two endpoints using its and elements and appropriate schema definitions. • The semantics of the service: how it might be called to make a synchronous request/reply, synchronous reply-only or asynchronously communicate. • The end point and transport of the service via the element: that is, who provides the service. • An encoding via the element, that is how the service is accessed.