What are Common Web Services Interview Questions?

Web service development has become a popular field. The most common web services interview questions are based on security, message protocols, and basic knowledge of best practices. Web service development also requires a strong knowledge of agile development techniques and the development methods used in standard web services.

The web service definition language (WSDL) is a fundamental component to web service development. There will typically be several web services interview questions focused on WSDL topics. These will include the purpose and use of this special web service file.

A trick question that may be asked during a web service interview is how long it takes to develop a web service. This is tricky question because most web services only take a few weeks to complete. An experienced developer will always answer this question with an an explanation that the how long a project will take will depend on the details and complexity of the job.

One of the most frequently asked web services interview questions is about how to implement security for a web service. There are a few methods available, including certificates and message level encryption. During an interview, it is important to explain when it is appropriate to use a specific security implementation.

There are many technologies and tools used during the development of web services. These software tools assist developers in the assembly, testing, and deployment of services on the Internet. Web services interview questions typically include an overview of the experience the developer has with specific development tools.

Web services development requires a good knowledge of the alphabet soup of acronyms that are used with this technology. Some examples include extensible markup language (XML), extensible style sheet language transformation (XSLT), web service definition language (WSDL), and XML schema definition (XSD). Most web services interview questions inquire about specific technologies used during the development process.

Testing web services requires a fundamental understanding of network protocols, interface design, and performance matrix. Web services interview questions should include some basic testing questions. These questions are designed to validate how an individual tested his web services after he finished the coding effort.

It is also common to ask for an explanation of how the service is managed in a production environment of a company. When a web service is installed, it should have basic controls that enable the monitoring and trouble shooting of the service. This typically includes audit logs that can report on the health of the service while it is production.