Can you explain what is meant by the concept of service-oriented architecture and how it is implemented in systems?

Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is an approach to building software systems where functionality is divided into independent services. Each service implements specific business logic and interacts with others through well-defined interfaces (usually over a network, such as HTTP API).

Main characteristics of SOA:

• Modularity: services are independent and can evolve separately.
• Interoperability: services can be written in different languages and run on different platforms.
• Reusability: a service can be used in different applications.

Implementation in systems typically includes:

• Defining a set of services with clear contracts.
• Using message exchange protocols (REST, SOAP, gRPC).
• Managing services through orchestration or message bus.

Example: in an online store, separate services may be responsible for the product catalog, payment, delivery, and user management, interacting with each other via APIs.