Requirements and Recommendations

The following requirements and recommendations should be reviewed before implementing Universal API.

Standards and Protocols

Universal API conforms to the following industry standards and protocols.

Message Envelope

SOAP 1.1

Message Transfer

HTTP 1.1

Encryption

TLS 1.2

Important!Travelport does not support TLS 1.0 or 1.1.

Web Service Description Language

WSDL 1.1

Data Transfer

XML 1.0

Tools and Environments

Any development tools or environments that are compatible with the above standards and protocols can be used. While Travelport does not recommend specific development tools, the following tools have been used by Travelport to develop Universal API client applications:

Developer Skills

Developers should have familiarity with XML, as well as the standards and protocols listed above. This documentation assumes that the audience has a working knowledge of Web Services technologies and tools, and does not provide general information about Web Services. Prior knowledge of the travel business models is also helpful.

Connectivity and Security

Universal API is supported through an Internet connection. Internet connections must be secured via a Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol. The TLS protocol ensures privacy between communicating applications and their users on the Internet. TLS is the successor to the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

Universal API servers are secured, and access is granted only to the specific Web Services for which the client is licensed. Because Web Services formats and standards are not limited to use on the Internet, the same protocols apply to the message, regardless of the type of network connection.

See Security and Encryption for more details about transmitting secured data via Universal API.