When is it appropriate to use the ArcGIS Server REST API vs. the SOAP API and vice-versa? What do you see as the advantages of one over the other?
For example, the SOAP service can be consumed as a Service Reference to integrate into Visual Studio. Is there anything available that would give you that level of integration with REST?
More info: ArcGIS GIS Services
Best Answer
This is a good question. While I like REST, I don't see a way to request Z and M values for geometries. It looks like this is possible with SOAP using the PointN object. It would be great to see this question evolve to list more differences.
Another factor is what clients you need to support - if it's just Silverlight, then SOAP is a lot more attractive.
I've developed SOE's and GP services that send complex objects via Json.NET. These objects are easily consumed by Silverlight, but it looks like a javascript client will have a much harder time.