Smaller is Better
So many times we hear that bigger is better. I would argue that when it comes to web services, smaller is better. It is very easy to be drawn in by the idea of taking a copybook, creating a service, without any regard for what is in the copybook. When we need a gallon of milk, we don’t go and buy the entire store! We get only what we need. The same should hold true for web services. Too many times we try to create services that cover all the possibilities anticipated. I would argue this type of approach is too broad and would incur a significant amount of unnecessary overhead. That is not to say that every service needs to be absolute either. Tacking on an extra field or two for the sake of reusability would not be a bad idea. When thinking about the size of the service, remember size does matter, and that is the right size.
