In software, a web service is a way for applications to communicate over a network. Client applications send requests over HTTP to server applications that typically respond with XML or JSON.

Ephesoft provides web services that allow external clients to execute both document processing and administrative actions. It is also possible to simply start a batch of documents processing through the system via a web service; this is how Ephesoft implemented its SnapDoc mobile application.

Ephesoft's Web Services API allows you to create solution architectures that break the pipeline paradigm. Traditionally, capture solutions were designed with scanning solutions flowing into Ephesoft, which then exported the indexed content into a document repository. Now, Ephesoft can be accessed as a service from one or more systems in your enterprise.

For example, your organization may have a portal through which external users can upload invoices. Ephesoft has to process these invoices, but...