Enterprise application hosting and management system (PaaS)

The enterprise application hosting and management system pattern is available as a platform as a service (PaaS) based deployment using ArcGIS Platform.

ArcGIS Platform provides market-leading location services to you as a PaaS managed and delivered by Esri. ArcGIS Platform provides capabilities that span the data and services/logic tiers, with mapping libraries, APIs, SDKs, and no-code options that give you full control over the presentation tier. Built on world-class cloud architecture and managed by IT and geographic information system (GIS) experts, ArcGIS Platform offers flexible location-focused PaaS for software developers, businesses, and organizations that need to bring location innovation into their products, solutions, and systems.

Note:

Hosting for custom, full-code web applications is not provided by the PaaS deployment using ArcGIS Platform. External web hosting (for example, with a web server) is required for hosting custom, full-code web applications.

Related resources:

Base architecture

The following is a typical base architecture for an enterprise application hosting and management system deployed as PaaS.

This diagram should not be taken as is and used as the design for your system. There are many important factors and design choices that should be considered when designing your system. Review the using system patterns topic for more information. Additionally, the diagram depicted below delivers only the base capabilities of the system; additional system components may be required when delivering extended capabilities.

Enterprise application hosting and management system base architecture (PaaS)

Key components of this architecture include:

ArcGIS Platform includes standard portal components such as users, groups, and items, though these components are largely managed behind the scenes. ArcGIS Platform includes one user account, and management of location services is supported through the ArcGIS Developer dashboard. Learn more about ArcGIS Developer accounts for ArcGIS Platform. ArcGIS Platform also includes location services such as basemaps and geocoding services. The ArcGIS Platform data store hosts organizational data and content used to power location services such as basemaps and reference data layers.
ArcGIS Platform supports custom, full-code applications developed using mapping APIs and SDKs. The ArcGIS Developer dashboard serves as a management console for ArcGIS Platform.

Key interactions in this architecture include:

Client applications communicate with data services as well as location services over HTTPS, typically via stateless REST APIs.
External web hosting (e.g., web server) is required for hosting custom, full-code web applications. Learn more about deploying applications.

Additional information on using and administering ArcGIS Platform can be found in the ArcGIS Platform product documentation.

Capabilities

The capabilities of the enterprise application hosting and management system on PaaS are described below. See the capability overview and comparison of capability support across deployment patterns for more information.

Capabilities used in an enterprise application hosting and management system, but typically provided by other systems, such as basemaps, geocoding, and other location services provided by a location services system are not listed below. Learn more about related system patterns.

Base capabilities

Base capabilities represent the most common capabilities delivered by enterprise application hosting and management systems and that are enabled by the base architecture presented above.

Mapping and visualization allow users to create as well as interact with 2D maps and 3D scenes. ArcGIS Online includes rich mapping and visualization capabilities, including data-driven visualization, 3D visualization, as well as basemap styling. Learn more about maps and visualization.
Data publishing and hosting provides for secure storage, management, and access of data as a service for data published by content creators and other user personas in an organization. ArcGIS Platform supports publishing and hosting data for a number service or layer types, including feature layers and feature layer views, (map) tile layers, vector tile layers, and scene layers. Storage is limited for data hosting in ArcGIS Platform. See developer products, subscriptions, and accounts for more information. Learn more about data publishing and hosting.
Data editing capabilities are included in enterprise application hosting and management systems; however, most data editing workflows tend to be better served by data editing and management systems.
Data import and export in bulk is supported through the import and export features of feature services hosted in ArcGIS Platform.
Network analysis helps solve complex network problems (typically on street networks) such as creating an optimized route to visit many destinations, finding the closest facility, identifying a service area around a location, or servicing a set of orders with a fleet of vehicles. ArcGIS Platform supports building custom, full-code applications against network analysis location services, relying on spatial analysis services provided by a location services system. Learn more about spatial analysis services.
Geometry analysis is the process of using a client-side API to perform one or more operations on a point, polyline, or polygon to solve a geometric problem. Learn more about geometry analysis and how geometry analysis compares to feature analysis.

Extended capabilities

Extended capabilities are typically added to meet specific needs or support industry specific data models and solutions, and may require additional software components or architectural considerations.

Indoor GIS commonly serves indoor maps and applications to broad groups of stakeholders including, but not limited to, enterprise and public audiences through lightweight mobile apps or kiosks. Indoor GIS applications may be delivered through an enterprise application hosting and management system powered by SaaS, though typically these applications rely on additional Indoor GIS capabilities provided by another system pattern.

Considerations

The considerations below apply the pillars of the ArcGIS Well-Architected Framework to the enterprise application hosting and management system pattern on PaaS. The information presented here is not meant to be exhaustive, but rather highlights key considerations for designing and/or implementing this specific combination of system and deployment pattern. Learn more about the architecture pillars of the ArcGIS Well-Architected Framework.

Reliability

Reliability ensures your system provides the level of service required by the business, as well as your customers and stakeholders. For more information, see the reliability pillar overview.

ArcGIS Platform leverages multiple availability zones, regions, and service providers to ensure redundancy, resiliency, and service continuity.
Service Level Agreement (SLA) provided by ArcGIS Platform.
Consideration should be given to recoverability in enterprise application hosting and management systems. Backup processes and procedures external to ArcGIS Platform are recommended.

Security

Security protects your systems and information. For more information, see the security pillar overview.

Building applications with ArcGIS Platform that access secure resources requires Authentication. ArcGIS Platform requires an ArcGIS Developer account and subscription, which supports API key and OAuth 2.0 based authentication. Learn more about security and authentication.
Systems are subject to vulnerability assessments including system, web application, and database scans.

Performance & scalability

Performance and scalability aim to optimize the overall experience users have with the system, as well as ensure the system scales to meet evolving workload demands. For more information, see the performance and scalability pillar overview.

Performance and scalability are typically important or critical for enterprise applications that are hosted and managed in this system. Applications, along with supporting content like maps and layers, should be designed and engineered to meet the performance and scalability expectations of users and the organization (including SLAs if required). Consider reviewing how to configure highly scalable web applications for ArcGIS Online, as many of these best practices also apply to ArcGIS Platform. Learn about optimizing apps and services in ArcGIS.
Scaling is handled automatically by ArcGIS Platform, which includes multiple content delivery networks to deliver highly scalable maps and apps to diverse locations around the world.
Regional geospatial data hosting is available in the United States, Europe, and Asia-Pacific to improve performance and support data residency requirements.

Automation

Automation aims to reduce effort spent on manual deployment and operational tasks, leading to increased operational efficiency as well as reduction in human introduced system anomalies. For more information, see the automation pillar overview.

Automation related to publishing, content management, as well as administration is common with ArcGIS Platform. This is typically done using the ArcGIS API for Python.

Integration

Integration connects this system with other systems for delivering enterprise services and amplifying organizational productivity. For more information, see the integration pillar overview.

Incorporation of external data and services into this system for use by enterprise applications is common. Integration approaches tend to focus on data or services-level integration, sometimes involving automation. Learn more about integration approaches and methods.
Enterprise application hosting and management systems are commonly used to deliver data, analytic results, or other content produced or managed in another ArcGIS system. Learn more about related system patterns.

Observability

Observability provides visibility into the system, enabling operations staff and other technical roles to keep the system running in a healthy, steady state. For more information see the observability pillar overview.

Careful monitoring of application and service utilization is important with this system pattern. Enterprise applications typically extend to the whole organization (and possibly beyond), and therefore usage patterns and growth may not be anticipated by the system designers or operators. Monitoring helps people make decisions about when to scale and evolve to meet demand while continuing to operate properly (and in accordance with SLAs).
ArcGIS Platform, as a PaaS offering, does not support observation of its underlying infrastructure and software internals. It does, however, offer ways to observe system utilization and health. This includes monitoring usage of apps as well as layers through the ArcGIS.com website, which can be accessed through the ArcGIS Developer dashboard.
Use of web analytics should be strongly considered when using ArcGIS Hub sites, ArcGIS Instant Apps, ArcGIS StoryMaps, and custom applications.

Other

Additional considerations for designing and implementing an enterprise application hosting and management system as PaaS include:

This pattern is typically designed to meet strict non-functional requirements and/or SLAs. As such, strong governance and alignment with IT policies and roles, such as data steward and content manager, should strongly be considered when implementing this system pattern.