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Guide for setting up web server to host custom Web AppBuilder apps

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05-06-2015 07:22 AM
RELAdmin
by
Regular Contributor
‎05-06-2015 07:22 AM

Hello,

Up until now, I've been utilizing the Web AppBuilder that is built into ArcGIS online to create the web applications we deliver to clients. I'm interested in expanding the functionality of these apps by adding custom widgets, but I'm not sure how to set up the web server that would host the custom built apps. I don't have a lot of experience with networking and such, so I don't really know where to start with setting up a web server on our company's network. We are a small firm so we don't have a dedicated IT person, so it would be up to me to come up with the steps to complete this project.

First of all, would the server be running on one dedicated machine that would need to be running all the time for clients to access the applications? Or would it run on the machines that are running our internal servers? Is there free software for setting up this kind of server?

Also, I'm wondering if there is a way to achieve this using a cloud hosted solution, and if anybody could recommend providers for this service?

Thank you for the help! I appreciate any help to lead me in the right direction.

~Phil

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1 Reply
RebeccaStrauch__GISP
by MVP Emeritus
MVP Emeritus
‎05-06-2015 08:34 AM

Hi Phil, a few short answers...

but I'm not sure how to set up the web server that would host the custom built apps.  .... Is there free software for setting up this kind of server?

There are many web servers that should work, I'm most familiar with Microsoft IIS which is available on Windows Servers, but there are other that are free too.

would the server be running on one dedicated machine that would need to be running all the time for clients to access the applications? Or would it run on the machines that are running our internal servers?

If you want it to be available to clients 24/7, it would need to be available all the time.  If clients are outside your network, it would have to be available outside your network, but you can set up security and I highly recommend getting an SSL certificate and setting up https.  Do some searched on SSL in GeoNet and you will see some good discussions.

Also, I'm wondering if there is a way to achieve this using a cloud hosted solution, and if anybody could recommend providers for this service?

This article my be helpful Is Cloud Computing The Right Choice For Your Business ? (article in http://www.xchangetech.com) in decision making.

It may help others give suggestions if you can give a brief explanation of your needs. that is, only internal network use, clients external to network, public sites, all public or secure data too?  I hope this helps you get started.

edit...oh, and only because there are a lot inks for WAB (my blog)  Web AppBuilder Developer Edition – Customization Resource List​