Salesforce SOAP API

SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is an XML-based messaging protocol for exchanging information between systems and applications. SOAP is a communication protocol designed to communicate via the Internet. SOAP API is extensible, neutral, and independent.

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Salesforce provides programmatic access to your org’s information using simple, powerful, and secure application programming interfaces (APIs). Before reading more about SOAP API, you should have a basic familiarity with software development, web services, and the Salesforce user interface.

Any functionality described in this insight is available if your org has the API feature enabled. This feature is enabled by default for Performance, Unlimited, Enterprise, and Developer Salesforce Editions. Some Professional Edition orgs have the API enabled. If you can’t access the features you see in this guide, contact Tectonic for assistance.

Salesforce offers several APIs in addition to SOAP API. If you’re wondering whether SOAP API is the right tool to use, check out Which API Do I Use? in Salesforce Help.

Salesforce SOAP API is designed to work with Salesforce objects. See the Object Reference for the Salesforce Platform for an introduction and more information about Salesforce objects.

Customize, Integrate, and Extend Your Salesforce Solutions

The Lightning Platform allows you to customize, integrate, and extend your Salesforce organization using the language and platform of your choice:

Customize Salesforce with custom fields, links, objects, page layouts, buttons, record types, s-controls, and tabs to meet specific business requirements.
Integrate Salesforce with your org’s ERP and finance systems. Deliver real-time sales and support information to company portals and populate critical business systems with customer information.
Extend Salesforce in presentation, business logic, and data services with new functionality that reflects the business requirements of your org.

What is the difference between SOAP and REST API in Salesforce?

The main difference is that SOAP is a structured protocol, while REST is more flexible and less defined. REST and SOAP are two different ways to connect applications with server-side data. Both of the API formats use data that both humans and machines can read, and both often use HTTP protocols.