This document provides an overview of key concepts related to web services, including: what a web service is (a service that allows exchange of data between different systems); common uses of web services like reusing existing applications and communicating across platforms; the main types (simple and complex) and protocols (SOAP, REST, etc.) of web services; how the Web Services Description Language (WSDL) is used to describe web services using XML elements; and that SOAP is an XML-based protocol for exchanging information over HTTP.