Drupal as a web services platform using the Services module

The Services module allows Drupal content (nodes, users, taxonomy and more) to be retrieved and saved through a standard API using pluggable communication mechanisms including XMLRPC, JSON and REST. Developers can also easily create their own web services to expose additional integration with contrib modules or your own custom code. In the past the main use of Services has been to provide a way for Flash apps to communicate with Drupal. However, over time, Services has been implemented in a variety of creative contexts including using Drupal as the content backend for iPhone and Android applications. This session will discuss some of the ways the Services module can help expose your Drupal content to external consumers, bring external data into Drupal, or both!

The first 45 minutes of the session will cover the Services architecture and discuss writing your own services, as well as highlighting some of the new features being included in the Drupal 7 version. The rest of the session will consist of a couple of short case studies highlighting some creative implementations using Services with Flash, mobile apps (iPhone and Android) and/or Drupal->Drupal communication.