# Please explain web services **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [April 28, 2006, 7:50pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/please-explain-web-services/59115 "2006-04-28T19:50:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jjkiesch](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc79bd/32.png) [@jjkiesch](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jjkiesch)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 7:50pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/please-explain-web-services/59115/1 "2006-04-28T19:50:26Z")
could someone explain some of the uses for a web service. i’m reading about how to make them, but i’m still not quite sure what they’re good for. i have multiple rails apps that i would like to pass user information back and forth to. i’m not sure if something like this could help me or not. thanks ---
**Author:** ![jjkiesch](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc79bd/32.png) [@jjkiesch](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jjkiesch)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 7:59pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/please-explain-web-services/59115/2 "2006-04-28T19:59:38Z")
On 4/28/06, Josh K. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > could someone explain some of the uses for a web service. i’m reading > about how to make them, but i’m still not quite sure what they’re good > for. > > i have multiple rails apps that i would like to pass user information > back and forth to. i’m not sure if something like this could help me or > not. Yes, that’s what a web service would be good for. A webservice is essentially a way for applications to get data from other applications using HTTP. Joe ---
**Author:** ![jjkiesch](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc79bd/32.png) [@jjkiesch](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jjkiesch)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 8:06pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/please-explain-web-services/59115/3 "2006-04-28T20:06:10Z")
i’ve tried googling for some examples but i have not yet found anything. does anyone know of some good resources for accomplishing something like this between two rails applications? ---
**Author:** ![jjkiesch](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc79bd/32.png) [@jjkiesch](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jjkiesch)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 8:27pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/please-explain-web-services/59115/4 "2006-04-28T20:27:28Z")
Rodrigo D. wrote: > A web server is a great technology to communicate applications. It is > standard, and everyone know how to work with web services. > > A good example for a web service: > > In my company, we have a lot of web applications, for clients and for > workers. All the logins, are local to a web application. So if you log > into web application A, and then you want to go to web application B, > you have to put another user and another password, although you are the > same client, big problem. > So I’m implementing a solution, a login server for all those webs, so I > can store all the logins in the login server, specify in that server > what web applications they can access, metadata associated to each > login, etc. > The web applications in the company were programmed mostly in PHP, and > there are some web applications in perl, and some web applications in > ROR. So I’m doing all the login for the login server in ruby on rails, > and I’m implementing a web service to communicate and give an standard > API to the others applications, criptography, etc; and the changes that > they have to implement in their current web applications are very > little. And even better, we can now provide access to the web service to > our provideers, so they can use our login server and we can integrate > with our provideers. what you’re talking about is EXACTLY what i would need. is the development of something like this very hard? are there any pointers you could give or places to start out for something like this? your help would be greatly appreciated in any way you can. ---
**Author:** ![jjkiesch](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc79bd/32.png) [@jjkiesch](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jjkiesch)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 8:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/please-explain-web-services/59115/5 "2006-04-28T20:15:23Z")
A web server is a great technology to communicate applications. It is standard, and everyone know how to work with web services. A good example for a web service: In my company, we have a lot of web applications, for clients and for workers. All the logins, are local to a web application. So if you log into web application A, and then you want to go to web application B, you have to put another user and another password, although you are the same client, big problem. So I’m implementing a solution, a login server for all those webs, so I can store all the logins in the login server, specify in that server what web applications they can access, metadata associated to each login, etc. The web applications in the company were programmed mostly in PHP, and there are some web applications in perl, and some web applications in ROR. So I’m doing all the login for the login server in ruby on rails, and I’m implementing a web service to communicate and give an standard API to the others applications, criptography, etc; and the changes that they have to implement in their current web applications are very little. And even better, we can now provide access to the web service to our provideers, so they can use our login server and we can integrate with our provideers. * * * Rodrigo D. Contra la contaminación de las papeleras. Por el río Uruguay. El 30 de Abril en Gualeguaychú. Yo Voy. Iplan Networks Datos Personales removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid www.iplan.com.ar www.rorra.com.ar 5031-6303 15-5695-6027 -----Mensaje original----- De: removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid [[mailto:removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)] En nombre de Joe Van D. Enviado el: Viernes, 28 de Abril de 2006 02:57 p.m. Para: removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid Asunto: Re: [Rails] please explain web services On 4/28/06, Josh K. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > could someone explain some of the uses for a web service. i’m reading > about how to make them, but i’m still not quite sure what they’re good > for. > > i have multiple rails apps that i would like to pass user information > back and forth to. i’m not sure if something like this could help me > or > not. Yes, that’s what a web service would be good for. A webservice is essentially a way for applications to get data from other applications using HTTP. Joe * * * Rails mailing list removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid [http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails](http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails) ---
**Author:** ![jjkiesch](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc79bd/32.png) [@jjkiesch](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jjkiesch)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 9:41pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/please-explain-web-services/59115/6 "2006-04-28T21:41:41Z")
Watch out for ActionWebServices. Look at [http://manuals.rubyonrails.com/read/book/10](http://manuals.rubyonrails.com/read/book/10) Josh K. wrote: > i’ve tried googling for some examples but i have not yet found anything. > does anyone know of some good resources for accomplishing something like > this between two rails applications? – Sau S. [http://blog.saush.com](http://blog.saush.com) [http://www.projectible.com](http://www.projectible.com) [http://jaccal.sourceforge.net](http://jaccal.sourceforge.net)