WS-Addressing 1.0 offers a transport-neutral mechanism for addressing objects in Web services applications built on top of URLs, called an endpoint reference, or EPR , W3C said. The specification extends Web services capabilities by enabling asynchronous message exchanges and allows more than two services to interact. The core specification and a SOAP binding are included in WS-Addressing 1.0.

Microsoft, in a prepared statement released by W3C, endorsed the specification.

"As co-authors and implementers of the original WS-Addressing submission in 2004, Microsoft has long viewed having a standard method of addressing messages as a fundamental extension to SOAP," said Andrew Layman, director of Connected Systems Integration, in the statement .

"Microsoft will continue its support of WS-Addressing by implementing the W3C recommendation in the next versions of its Web services-enabled products, including the forthcoming Windows Communication Foundation 1.0," Layman said.

EPRs also feature a "metadata bag" that allows for additional information, such as a policy statement or WSDL description, to be included with the EPR. WS-Addressing technology is featured in other Web services standardization efforts, such as in WS-Trust.