introduction to sockets and web services broadcast systemswhere multiple clients may need to receive the data published by server host (particularly if data loss is not an issue web services web service is service offered by host computer that can be invoked by remote client using the hypertext transfer protocol (httphttp can be run over any reliable stream transport protocolalthough it is typically used over tcp/ip it was originally designed to allow data to be transferred between http server and web browser so that the data could be presented in human readable form to user howeverwhen used with web service it is used to support program to program communication between client and server using machine-readable data formats currently this format is most typically json (java script object notationalthough in the past xml (extensible markup languagewas often used addressing services every device (hostconnected to the internet has unique identity (we are ignoring private networks herethis unique identity is represented as an ip address using an ip address we can connect socket to specific host anywhere on the internet it is therefore possible to connect to whole range of device types in this way from printers to cash tills to fridges as well as serversmainframes and pcs etc ip addresses have common format such as an ip version address is always set of four numbers separated by full stops each number can be in the range - so the full range of ip addresses is from to an ip address can be divided up into two partsthe part indicating the network on which the host is connected and the host' idfor examplethusthe network id elements of the ip address identifies the specific network on which the host is currently located the host id is the part of the ip address that specifies specificities device on the network (such as your computer