A web service is a software system with open protocols that has a unique URL address and maintains communication between two applications via the internet. Being platform and technology independent, a web service acts as a mediator that can connect all types of applications across the web regardless of the programming language they are written in. For instance, Java applications can be connected to .NET applications. Such compatibility is possible due to open standards of web services, while the communication happens via the data exchange formats XML/JSON and the protocols of web communication HTTP/HTTPS.