# Creating top-down Web services

Web services can be created using two methods: top-down development and bottom-up development. Top-down Web services development involves creating a Web service from a WSDL file.

When creating a Web service using a top-down approach, first you design the implementation of the Web service by creating a WSDL file. You can do this using the WSDL Editor. You can then use the Web services wizard to create the Web service and skeleton Java™ classes to which you can add the required code.

Although bottom-up Web service development may be faster and easier, especially if you are new to Web services, the top-down approach is the recommended way of creating a Web service. By creating the WSDL file first you will ultimately have more control over the Web service, and can eliminate interoperability issues that may arise when creating a Web service using the bottom-up method.

Parent topic: Web services overview
Related Concepts
Web services overview
Tools for Web services development
Creating bottom-up Web services
Related Tasks
Developing Web services