Reference Information › Application Catalog Reference Guide › Web Service Applications › WS_API_SAMPLE - Web Services API Sample Application

WS_API_SAMPLE - Web Services API Sample Application

Latest Version: 1.0.7-1

The WS_API_SAMPLE application provides an example of how to build a simple portal application that accesses the CA AppLogic Web Service API application that is, WS_API. This application is provided to guide developers of portals and applications which issue Web API requests to an instance of the WS_API application running on a CA AppLogic grid.

Boundary

Important! The IP addresses configured in the iface.vpn, iface.in and iface.net properties must be IP addresses available on your CA AppLogic grid. You can find them, together with the DNS servers on the dashboard of your grid.

Resources

Volumes

The BackupHelper application has the following volume:

Overview

The WS_API_SAMPLE application, it needs to be configured to access the instance of WS_API running on a CA AppLogic grid. Before starting this application, start an instance of WS_API application as explained here. The WS_API_SAMPLE can then be configured regarding properties that are set in the instance of WS_API application.

To configure the WS_API_SAMPLE

1. Edit the portal script residing on bin sub-directory of the portal volume of the application and set the IP variable in the script to:
2. Set the IP variable to iface.in to issue HTTP or HTTPS based requests to the WS_API application or to aux to issue HTTP based requests over a VPN tunnel
3. Edit the VDC info so that it matches the vdcs.conf on the WS_API application. E.g -

   # EDIT VDC info here
   <p>
   <label for="location">Select Location: </label>
   <select name="location">
   <option value="dallas">Dallas, TX, USA</option>
   <option value="sandiego">San Diego, CA, USA</option>
   <option value="japan">Tokyo, Japan</option>
   <option value="netherlands">Amsterdam, Netherlands</option>
   </select>
   </p>
   The above should change to VDCs that are configured in the WS_API application. If mygrid1 and mygrid2 are two VDCs running in Dallas and San Diego respectively then above HTML code should be changed to: 
   # EDIT VDC info here
   <p>
   <label for="location">Select Location: </label>
   <select name="location">
   <option value="mygrid1">Dallas, TX, USA</option>
   <option value="mygrid2">San Diego, CA, USA</option>
   </select>
   </p>
   

The WS_API_SAMPLE can be configured to work in one of the following modes:

• HTTP
• HTTPS
• VPN Tunnel

Using HTTP

In this mode, the portal uses regular HTTP based interface to issue API requests to the instance of WS_API application.
For example, curl "http://iface.in/api/v1/app/list?vdc=mygrid1".

Using HTTPS

In this mode, the portal uses secure HTTP based interface that is, HTTPS to issue API requests to the instance of WS_API application. For this to work, the api_client.pem key should be copied to the keys sub-directory on the portal volume of the WS_API_SAMPLE application.
For example, curl -k -E /mnt/fs/keys/api_client.pem "https://iface.in/api/v1/app/list?vdc=mygrid1".

Using VPN Tunnel

In this mode, the portal uses regular HTTP based interface to issue API requests to the instance of WS_API application through a secure VPN tunnel. To create the tunnel, simple copy the client.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.key, client.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.crt and ca.crt generated on the server sub-directory of the vpn_key volume of the instance of WS_API application to the client sub-directory of the vpn_key volume of the WS_API_SAMPLE application. A secure tunnel is created once the out_vpn component is started.
For example, curl "http://aux/api/v1/app/list?vdc=mygrid1".

To access the portal through a web browser, point the browser to http://iface.in/api/portal

Application Architecture

CA AppLogic Web Services 'WS_API_SAMPLE' application infrastructure is show below:

It has the following components:

• one firewalled input gateway - supports HTTP and HTTPS based access to the portal
• one VPN client - issues API requests through a secure tunnel to the VPN Server in the WS_API application
• one firewalled net gateway - issues HTTP and HTTPS based API requests to the iface.in of the WS_API application
• a web server - runs the sample portal
• a Linux appliance - to issue command line based requests
• a centralized configuration file storage

Notes

Open source and third-party software used

The following open source third-party software is installed on the portal volume.