Worklight : is the worklight server mandatory?

Question

I'm currently studying worklight and I'd like to know if the worklight server is mandatory ?

I've seen it last year and it was mandatory to get the server to build the application in eclipse. It is always the case (after the IBM buyout) ?

Other question: is it mandatory to get the server to call a rest service ? I would like to call a REST service that returns json. Do I have to use an HTTP Adapter on worklight server or can I request it directly ?

I can't see the advantages of using worklight server... It uses javascript, xml, xsl to do things that should be done in java. If calling a rest json service, why calling an intermediary and not directly the service? It will be slower.

Answer 1

The server is now embedded within the Eclipse development environment. In production, you will need a server. The server provides value in reporting client-access, push notification, aggregating multiple back-ends into a single requests, centralized authentication against back end resources, provisioning clients in B2E scenarios and more.

Answer 2

You can make it so that IBM Worklight doesn't ever connect to the Worklight Server as long as you aren't using functions that require the server. However, keep in mind that the Server is important for a lot of different things to include security frameworks, unified push notification, offline encrypted storage, sms delivery, and a plethora of other things.

"I can't see the advantages of using worklight server... It uses javascript, xml, xsl to do things that should be done in java. If calling a rest json service, why calling an intermediary and not directly the service? It will be slower."

The point of the server is also to centralize and secure. It makes requests really easy and consistent whether you are doing common RESTful, mySql, etc. The server will do all the work for you instead of possibly pointing your app to multiple locations. The server keeps your traffic in a central hub.

If you don't want to use the server and you have existing web services to connect to, utilize Webcode like you would from a website or Web-app. Use AJAX.