Essential data on why enterprises are accelerating their migration from legacy SOAP services to modern REST APIs—and how to execute the transition efficiently
The shift from SOAP to REST has moved from technical preference to business imperative. With 93% of organizations now using REST APIs as their dominant architecture, enterprises clinging to legacy SOAP services face mounting integration challenges, slower development cycles, and higher maintenance costs. DreamFactory's SOAP-to-REST conversion addresses this transition directly—automatically parsing WSDL files and transforming legacy services into modern REST endpoints without rewriting code. As the API management market accelerates toward $32.77 billion by 2032, understanding these conversion statistics is critical for enterprise architects planning modernization roadmaps.
Key Takeaways
- REST dominates with 93% adoption — Organizations have overwhelmingly standardized on REST architecture, making SOAP services increasingly isolated and difficult to integrate
- SOAP to REST migration delivers 50-70% faster response times — Performance benchmarks consistently show REST outperforming SOAP across all industry verticals
- $120,000 annual infrastructure savings — Enterprises completing SOAP to REST conversions report significant cost reductions in bandwidth, maintenance, and development
- 70% of Fortune 500 companies still run 20+ year-old software — Legacy modernization represents a $24.98 billion market opportunity as organizations address technical debt
- 5 minutes to production-ready APIs — DreamFactory's automatic generation eliminates the 6-18 month timeline typical of manual SOAP to REST migrations
The Surge in SOAP to REST Conversions: 2026 Projections and Market Drivers
1. API management market valued at $6.89 billion in 2025
The current market valuation reflects sustained enterprise investment in API infrastructure. This spending increasingly targets modernization initiatives that convert legacy SOAP services to REST.
2. Market projected to reach $32.77 billion by 2032
The $32.77 billion projection represents a 25.0% CAGR—growth fueled by organizations modernizing legacy systems and adopting API-first strategies.
3. Legacy modernization market valued at $24.98 billion
Organizations are investing $24.98 billion specifically in legacy system modernization, with SOAP to REST conversion representing a significant portion of these initiatives.
4. 70% of Fortune 500 companies operate software over two decades old
McKinsey research reveals that 70% of major enterprises still depend on aging systems—many built on SOAP architectures that predate modern integration requirements.
5. U.S. government spends 80% of IT budgets on legacy maintenance
GAO reports indicate federal agencies allocate roughly 80% of IT spending to maintaining legacy systems rather than modernization—a ratio that SOAP to REST conversion can help reverse.
6. ~70% of banks cite legacy integration as a major obstacle
Finastra research shows approximately 70% of financial institutions identify legacy system integration as their primary technology challenge, driving SOAP to REST initiatives across banking.
Breaking Down the Numbers: Statistics on SOAP/REST API Adoption in 2026
7. 93% of organizations use REST APIs as their dominant architecture
The Postman State of the API Report confirms REST's overwhelming dominance, with 93% of organizations standardizing on REST—leaving SOAP increasingly marginalized.
8. 85% of new APIs use REST architecture
New API development has shifted decisively to REST, with 85% of new APIs built using REST architecture rather than SOAP.
9. 83% of public APIs use REST
Industry analysis shows 83% of public APIs now use REST—making SOAP services difficult to expose to partners and third parties.
10. 70% of public APIs are REST-based
Zuplo research confirms that 70% of publicly accessible APIs use REST, establishing it as the de facto standard for external integrations.
11. SOAP still powers 15% of APIs in banking, healthcare, and ERP
Despite REST's dominance, SOAP maintains presence in regulated industries—15% of APIs in banking, healthcare, and ERP systems remain SOAP-based.
12. SOAP handles $9 trillion per day in banking transactions
Legacy SOAP services continue processing $9 trillion daily in banking transactions—demonstrating why careful, reliable migration tools are essential.
13. 82% of organizations have adopted API-first approaches
API-first development has reached 82% adoption, creating pressure on organizations with SOAP-only services to modernize.
14. 25% operate as fully API-first organizations
Full API-first adoption reached 25% in 2025—a 12% increase from 2024—accelerating the obsolescence of SOAP-only architectures.
From SOAP to JSON: Technical Approaches and Conversion Methodologies
15. Traditional SOAP to REST migration takes 6-18 months
Manual conversion projects typically require 6-18 months for full SOAP service decommissioning—a timeline that automated platforms dramatically compress.
16. Mid-sized enterprise migration costs $25,000-$100,000
Migration cost estimates for mid-sized enterprises range from $25,000 to $100,000 for manual SOAP to REST conversion projects.
17. REST payloads are 30-70% smaller than SOAP
XML-heavy SOAP messages create significant overhead—REST payloads are 30-70% smaller, reducing bandwidth consumption and improving performance.
18. Organizations average 897 applications requiring integration
MuleSoft research shows enterprises average 897 applications—many still using SOAP—creating substantial modernization backlogs.
19. Only 2% have integrated more than half their applications
Despite integration priorities, only 2% of organizations have connected more than half their application portfolio—highlighting the scale of remaining SOAP to REST work.
DreamFactory's SOAP-to-REST conversion automates WSDL parsing, handles WS-Security authentication headers, and transforms complex SOAP types to JSON—reducing migration timelines from months to days.
Beyond the Basics: REST API Advantages Over SOAP in 2026 Enterprise Landscapes
20. REST APIs are 50-70% faster than SOAP
Performance benchmarks consistently show REST APIs operating 50-70% faster than equivalent SOAP services across all use cases.
21. Banking transactions: 60% faster with REST
Financial transaction processing improves by 60% after SOAP to REST migration—a critical performance gain for high-volume banking operations.
22. Healthcare data retrieval: 70% faster with REST
Patient data retrieval accelerates by 70% after conversion—critical for healthcare applications requiring real-time access.
23. Retail checkout: 60% faster with REST
E-commerce checkout processing accelerates by 60% after conversion, directly impacting customer experience and conversion rates.
24. IoT sensor processing: 60% faster with REST
IoT data processing improves by 60%—enabling the near-real-time responsiveness that IoT applications require.
25. REST supports 2.5x more concurrent users
Scalability testing shows REST architectures supporting 2.5x more concurrent users—10,000 with SOAP versus 25,000 with REST.
26. REST handles 2.5x more requests per second
Throughput improvements match concurrency gains, with REST handling 2,500 requests per second compared to SOAP's 1,000.
Security and Compliance in API Modernization: Securing Your REST Endpoints
27. 99% of organizations experienced API security problems
Salt Security research reveals 99% of organizations encountered API security issues in the past year—making security-first migration approaches essential.
28. API security incidents cost $591,404 on average
The Akamai 2024 API Security Impact Study found average incident costs of $591,404—justifying investment in secure migration platforms.
29. Over 40,000 API security incidents in H1 2025
Thales/Imperva research documented over 40,000 API-related security incidents across 4,000+ environments in just the first half of 2025.
30. Only 11% have extensive API security programs
Despite widespread incidents, only 11% of organizations have implemented comprehensive API security programs—creating risk during migration projects.
31. 66% delayed deployments due to API security concerns
Security concerns caused 66% of organizations to delay API deployments—delays that built-in security controls can prevent.
DreamFactory's enterprise security controls include granular role-based access control, OAuth 2.0, SAML, LDAP integration, and automatic SQL injection prevention—ensuring converted REST endpoints meet enterprise security requirements from day one.
DreamFactory's Role in Accelerating Enterprise SOAP to REST Transitions
32. 5 minutes to production-ready API
DreamFactory generates production-ready APIs in 5 minutes—compared to the 6-18 months typical of manual SOAP to REST migration projects.
33. 50,000+ production instances processing 2+ billion daily API calls
The platform's scale—50,000+ deployments handling over 2 billion daily API calls—demonstrates enterprise-grade reliability for mission-critical conversions.
34. $201,783 annual developer cost savings
Organizations using DreamFactory report $201,783 annual savings in developer costs—resources redirected from manual API coding to higher-value work.
35. $45,719 cost savings per API
Automated generation delivers $45,719 in savings per API compared to manual development—compounding across enterprise portfolios.
36. 99% fewer common vulnerabilities
Platform-enforced security delivers 99% reduction in common API vulnerabilities compared to manually coded endpoints.
Enterprises like Intel, NIH, and Vermont DOT have used DreamFactory to modernize legacy systems—connecting 1970s-era infrastructure to modern applications without replacing core systems.
The Future is Now: AI/LLM Integration and the Data Access Layer in 2026
37. 89% of developers use generative AI daily
Developer AI adoption has reached 89%—creating demand for REST APIs that can serve as data access layers for AI applications.
38. Significant growth in AI-related API traffic
Postman's 2025 report documents substantial increases in AI-related API traffic, with services like OpenAI, Gemini, and Llama showing multi-fold year-over-year growth—requiring modern REST architectures that SOAP services cannot efficiently provide.
39. Only 24% design APIs with AI agents in mind
Despite AI's growth, only 24% of developers currently design APIs for AI agent consumption—an opportunity for organizations modernizing SOAP services.
40. 75%+ of organizations using AI to support modernization
Konveyor research shows over 75% of organizations now leverage AI to accelerate legacy modernization efforts, including SOAP to REST conversion.
DreamFactory's strategic positioning as an AI/LLM data access layer enables converted REST APIs to serve as secure foundations for AI applications—transforming legacy SOAP services into AI-ready data sources.
Measuring Success: Key Metrics for SOAP to REST Conversion Projects
41. Infrastructure savings: $120,000 annually
Enterprises report $120,000 annual savings in infrastructure costs after completing SOAP to REST migrations.
42. Development time reduced by 35%
REST development requires 35% less time than equivalent SOAP service development, improving project ROI.
43. Maintenance costs reduced by 45%
Ongoing maintenance drops 45% after conversion—compounding savings year over year.
44. Bandwidth costs reduced by 50%
Smaller REST payloads translate to 50% bandwidth savings—significant for high-volume transaction processing.
45. 65% of organizations generate revenue from APIs
Postman reports 65% of organizations now generate revenue from their APIs—a monetization opportunity inaccessible to SOAP-only services.
Taking Action on These Statistics
The data presents a clear mandate: SOAP to REST conversion has moved from optional modernization to competitive necessity. Organizations delaying migration face:
- Integration isolation as 93% of the market standardizes on REST
- Performance penalties of 50-70% slower response times
- Escalating maintenance costs consuming IT budgets
- Inability to leverage AI/LLM capabilities requiring REST endpoints
- Security vulnerabilities affecting 99% of API deployments
DreamFactory addresses these challenges through automatic SOAP-to-REST conversion that eliminates manual rewriting. The platform parses WSDL files, handles WS-Security headers, transforms complex SOAP types to JSON, and generates complete REST endpoints with built-in security controls and live Swagger documentation.
For organizations ready to accelerate their SOAP to REST migration, request a demo to see how automated conversion transforms modernization timelines from months to minutes.