Securing a Web Service

Web Services deployed on the Web Server are secured by binding SOAP-layer message security providers and message protection policies to the container in which the applications are deployed or to web service endpoints served by the applications. When the Web Server is installed, SOAP-layer message security providers are configured in the server-side container of the Web Server. The container or individual applications in the container can bind to them or to individual applications in the container. During installation, the providers are configured with a simple message protection policy that, if bound to a container or to an application, would cause the source of the content in all request and response messages to be authenticated by an XML digital signature.

Use the Admin Console and CLI to perform the following tasks:

• To bind the existing providers for use by the server-side containers of the Web Server

• To modify the message protection policies enforced by the providers

• To create new provider configurations with alternative message protection policies

By default, message layer security is disabled on the Web Server. For more information about how to configure message layer security for the Web Server, seeConfiguring the Web Server for Message Security. For more information about how to use Web Services security to protect all Web Services applications deployed on the Web Server, see Enabling Providers for Message Security.

Once this security is established, Web Services security will be applied to all Web Services applications deployed on the Web Server.

Configuring Application-Specific Web Services Security

Configure application-specific web services during application assembly by defining message-security-binding elements in the applications Sun deployment descriptors. Use these message-security-binding elements to associate a specific provider or message protection policy with a web services endpoint or service reference. You can also qualify these elements so that they apply to a specific port or method of the corresponding endpoint or referenced service.