The xMatters web service is an API available on the xMatters web server that allows remote function calls to the xMatters system. The API is specified by an XML file called a WSDL. This file lists all operations that can be called and the parameters that can be specified in the request and response for a given operation. These operations can be accessed using version 1.1 or 1.2 of the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) protocol (described below).
The following examples demonstrate how xMatters web services provide a standards-based method for interacting with xMatters-specific data:
The xMatters web service is a stateless service; each request contains a user name and password to authenticate the request. These authentication parameters are specified in clear text and may be a security concern. For more information and potential solutions, see Security Concerns.
Also, it is recommended that you do not use the xMatters Web Service for high throughput or large data sets because the serialization into and out of XML is costly.
Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) is a standard for exchanging XML-based messages over a computer network, typically using HTTP. SOAP forms the foundation layer of the web services stack, providing a basic messaging framework that allows for standard communication between applications that is implementation independent.
Web Services Description Language (WSDL) is the standard format for describing a web service. A WSDL definition describes how to access a web service and what operations it will perform.
The xMatters Web Service WSDL can be retrieved by posting a GET request to the web service URL with the wsdl query parameter set. For more information, see Accessing Web Services.
Configuring Web Services for XML Validation
Enabling Ping Service for Web Services