DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WEB SERVICE AND WEB APPLICATION
Web service:
·
Typically returns XML or JSON or something like that, something that is
easily decoded by a program
·
The results you get from a web service is typically not just shown to a
person in its raw form (ie. since it isn't HTML, the results have to be
reformatted, like placed into a form)
·
The intended usage of a web service is that it is something an
application can talk to
Web application
·
Typically returns HTML or image data or similar
·
The results you get from a web application is usually shown to a person,
through a web browser
As for similarities:
·
Both typically use HTTP(S) as the transport
·
Both typically use HTTP authentication/authorization to secure data
·
Both are typically hosted by a web server
So the main difference is who usually talks to them. A web service
usually by another application, a web application usually by a web browser.
Other than that they're pretty similar
