Which HTTP header is used to indicate the intent of a SOAP message transmitted over HTTP?

Which HTTP header is used to indicate the intent of a SOAP message transmitted over HTTP?

• A. Recursive Payloads
• B. Web API
• C. SOAPAction
• D. XMLSpy

Answer: (C)

When a SOAP message is sent over HTTP, the HTTP header that signals what action the message intends to perform is the SOAPAction header. It carries the URI that identifies the specific operation to be invoked, helping the receiving endpoint or any intermediaries route and handle the request appropriately before processing the SOAP envelope. This is especially useful when a single endpoint can perform multiple operations. Historically, SOAP 1.1 relies on this header to convey the intended action; SOAP 1.2 can embed the action in the Content-Type, but SOAPAction remains a well-known indicator in many setups. The other options aren’t headers used for this purpose—Recursive Payloads isn’t a standard header, Web API refers to a type of interface, and XMLSpy is an XML editor.

When a SOAP message is sent over HTTP, the HTTP header that signals what action the message intends to perform is the SOAPAction header. It carries the URI that identifies the specific operation to be invoked, helping the receiving endpoint or any intermediaries route and handle the request appropriately before processing the SOAP envelope. This is especially useful when a single endpoint can perform multiple operations.

Historically, SOAP 1.1 relies on this header to convey the intended action; SOAP 1.2 can embed the action in the Content-Type, but SOAPAction remains a well-known indicator in many setups. The other options aren’t headers used for this purpose—Recursive Payloads isn’t a standard header, Web API refers to a type of interface, and XMLSpy is an XML editor.