A metamodel-based definition of a conversion mechanism between SOAP and RESTful web services

• Frameworks permit the conversion between SOAP and RESTful web services.
• They do not define a high-level characterization of the conversion process.
• We formalize the conversion between SOAP and RESTful web services.
• Three MOF metamodels are defined: SOAP, RESTful and SOA.
• QVT Relations transformation rules are defined among them.

Nowadays there are several frameworks that permit the conversion between SOAP and RESTful web services. However, none of these frameworks defines a high-level characterization of the interchange process, hindering full understanding of this process. This paper provides a metamodel-based approach that formalizes the conversion between SOAP and RESTful web services, clarifying this process. This approach can be used for guiding the ranslation process in forthcoming conversion frameworks and the publication of services in IDEs. In order to characterize the conversion mechanism three MOF metamodels are defined: SOAP, RESTful and intermediate SOA metamodels. This intermediate metamodel is used as a bridge between the other two metamodels. QVT Relations transformation rules between SOAP, RESTful and SOA metamodels are defined for a formal characterization of the transformation process.