URL Standards for a Webservice Endpoint?

Question

I am developing an application to consume a SOAP web service exposed at the end point http://${host}/sample/gotowork which is built out of TIBCO

In most projects I have worked, the WSDL is available for download on http://url?wsdl .

So my questions are

1) Is it good standard, not to expose expose WSDL file for an end point. If it's not mandatory, whenever a change is pushed in the Webservice, don't you think then the WSDL file would be manually passed around teams who consume this service?

2) Are there any particular URL standard one must follow like the WSDL file should be available in http://url?wsdl and not as http://url?web_descriptor_file ?

It would be great if some can point me to official documentation for the above points.

I did lookup in the internet, but found nothing on the URL format.

Answer 1

Queston 1:

WSDL file describes your service and its base URL is same as that of the service. Now coming to your question; to pass it around manually when there is a change.

Instead of passing the file you can simply communicate to the stakeholders that service is modified by sharing the URL. And passing a URL is way easier than a file. WSDL url is single source which clearly describes service.

Qustion 2

AFAIK; its base url is same as that of service.

Answer 2

Question 1:

IMO , you should let the WSDL file downloadable through the endpoint.This way you can keep yourself out of distributing it to systems using it.

Question 2

As far the URL format on how you expose the wsdl file. i havent found any official documentation, but in most java webservice projects i have worked on (example Axis , Spring ws) we expose the wsdl in http://url?wsdl