This text provides Java developers with an in-depth look at SOAP (the Simple Object Access Protocol). It covers the basics: what SOAP is and what its features and capabilities are. It alsp shows you how to work with some of the more common Java APIs in the SOAP world: Apache SOAP and GLUE. In addition to covering the basics such as the structure of a SOAP message, SOAP encoding, and building simple services using RPC and messaging, the book covers many topics that are necessary to real-world development. Questions asked include: when do you need to add support for your own object types, and how do you do it? how do you handle errors, and how do you add your own information to fault messages? and how do you handle attachments? It also discusses interoperability between the major SOAP platforms, including Microsoft's .NET, SOAP messaging, SOAP attachments, message routing, and a preview of the forthcoming AXIS APIs and server.