Extract text from Web service files (WSDL)
To convert WSDL files to another format, you need SoapUI or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "Web Service Definition" file type, you need software like SoapUI or a similar tool.
A .WSDL file is an XML document used to describe SOAP web services. It details the methods a service exposes, the parameters it requires, and the structure of the XML messages it returns. Developers use these files to generate client code and understand how to interact with an external API.
You can open .WSDL files using specialized API tools like SoapUI, frameworks like Apache Axis, integration platforms like Microsoft BizTalk Server, or any basic text editor. For more technical details, see the Wikipedia page for WSDL.
The main problem with .WSDL files is their extreme verbosity and complexity. The deeply nested XML syntax is difficult for humans to read without a dedicated IDE. Because .WSDL is strictly tied to the older SOAP protocol, the format is rigid and often incompatible with modern web browsers and lightweight REST architectures. Sharing a raw .WSDL file with non-technical stakeholders usually causes confusion, as it requires specialized software to interpret the endpoints.
To make the API documentation accessible, convert the .WSDL file to HTML or PDF. If you are migrating a legacy SOAP service to a modern REST API, convert the .WSDL to JSON or YAML following the OpenAPI (Swagger) specification. Keep in mind that converting to a REST specification requires mapping XML schemas to JSON, which may drop strictly enforced SOAP bindings.
Convert.Guru analyzes your WSDL file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted XML, TXT, XSD, WSD, EDMX, ZIP, PLANTUML, PDF, JPG, ZI_, IIX, JSON and TSX files.
If you want to convert WSDL file to XSD, XML, JSON, HTML, HTM, CSS, JS, PHP, ASP, ASPX, JSP or JSPX, you can use SoapUI or similar software from the "SOAP Web Service Definition" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert RSS, CSS, CGI, SITEMAP, PL, WEBMANIFEST, JSON, JS, XML, HTML, ICO or HTM files to WSDL, try SoapUI or another comparable tool in the "SOAP Web Service Definition" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our WSDL converter.