When a SOAP message traverses between a sender and a receiver along the message path, the SOAP header blocks can be intercepted and processed by applications at various points along the message path. These applications are called SOAP message handlers.
SOAP message handlers enable intermediate processing and are thus used to extend functionalities. Some of these functionalities include: providing message encryption and decryption, enabling access control to web services, managing transactions, auditing, logging, and caching.
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