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  1. LPU MCA Semester 1
  2. CAP470
  3. Unit 6

CAP470 · Unit 6: Cloud security and standards

Standards for application developers, messaging and security

11 practice questions · in the ETE syllabus

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Key points

  • REST/SOAP/JSON/XML for developers
  • AMQP, SMTP and XMPP for messaging
  • TLS, SAML, OAuth and OpenID for security
  • OAuth delegates access with tokens

Cloud standards fall into three groups that developers meet.

GroupExamplesPurpose
Application developersREST, SOAP, WSDL, JSON, XML, HTTPBuild and describe web services and exchange data
MessagingAMQP, SMTP, XMPPMove messages between applications and users
SecurityTLS (HTTPS), SAML, OAuth, OpenIDProtect traffic, sign users in and delegate access

SOAP messages are XML documents, while REST APIs usually exchange JSON and use standard HTTP methods. WSDL is an XML description of a web service's operations. AMQP standardises reliable message queuing, and SMTP carries email. TLS encrypts data in transit, SAML exchanges authentication and authorisation data in XML for single sign-on, and OAuth lets an application get limited access to a user's resources through tokens without learning the user's password.

Parsing an XML body such as <order><id>7</id></order> gives a root element order whose id child holds 7.

Exam trap: OAuth is about delegated access with tokens, while TLS protects data in transit. They solve different problems.

Try two questions

Question 1 · Tier 3, Apply

Which protocol provides encrypted communication for web traffic between a browser and a server?

  1. SNMP, used for network monitoring
  2. NTP, used for clock synchronisation
  3. DHCP, used for address assignment
  4. TLS, used by HTTPS
Show the answer

D. HTTPS is HTTP carried over TLS.

Why not A: SNMP does not encrypt web traffic.

Why not B: NTP synchronises clocks.

Why not C: DHCP assigns IP addresses.

Question 2 · Tier 3, Apply

What is the role of WSDL in web services?

  1. It encrypts the messages sent between two web services
  2. It stores the data of a web service in a relational table
  3. It schedules the times at which a web service restarts
  4. It describes the operations of a web service in an XML document
Show the answer

D. WSDL (Web Services Description Language) lets clients discover how to call a service.

Why not A: WSDL does not encrypt anything.

Why not B: WSDL is a description, not a storage format.

Why not C: WSDL has no scheduling function.