Editing SOA (section)

==Definition==
In SOA, a service is a modular piece of software (a service provider) with a well-described interface that can be activated by another modular piece of software (a service consumer). The service consumer does not need to understand the technological implementation of the service provider. This implies the concept of "loose coupling" (that is, the service provider can be changed without forcing the service consumer to be changed as well). In this sense, the provider and consumer are loosely coupled, rather than tightly, as in monolithic software architecture. This loose coupling leads to a more-modular system that can be changed readily (from Gartner).