WS-Policy is a model and syntax you can use to communicate the policies associated with a web service. Policies describe the requirements, preferences, or capabilities of a web service. You attach a policy to a policy subject, for example, a service, endpoint, operation, or message. After attaching a policy to a policy subject, the policy subject becomes governed by that policy.

A policy is made up of one or more policy assertions. Each policy assertion conveys a requirement, preference, or capability of a given policy subject. You specify policy assertions using XML-based policy expressions.

webMethods Integration Server provides support for Web Services Policy Framework (WS-Policy) Version 1.2.

In Integration Server, a policy is specified using policy expressions in an XML file called a WS-Policy file (more simply called policy file). For more information, see WS-Policy Files and Guidelines for Creating WS-Policy Files.

To have a web service governed by the policy in policy file, you attach the policy to the web service descriptor. You can attach WS-Policies at the binding operation message type level, such as input, output, and fault, in a web service descriptor.