topic foundation api: in-process or in-webapp? in Alfresco Archive

foundation api: in-process or in-webapp?

dirko — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:14:59 GMT

Hello,i am trying to access the repository from a webapp which sits next to the alfresco webapp. i first tried to use JCR, but left that track. now I am trying to use the Foundation API.from the wiki i read "It is an in-process API meaning that the client must sit within the same process as the Repo

Re: foundation api: in-process or in-webapp?

pmonks — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:09:01 GMT

Although your webapp and the Alfresco repository are in the same process from an OS perspective, Java servlet containers (in this case Tomcat) use classloader isolation techniques to "firewall" web applications from one another (more details on this for Tomcat are at http://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-5.5-doc/class-loader-howto.html - note that most servlet containers have their own unique classloader schemes).

The upshot is that in practice the Foundation Services API is only available from within the Alfresco webapp - for all other uses you'll have to use one of Alfresco's remote APIs:

Web Scripts (recommended) - http://wiki.alfresco.com/wiki/Web_Scripts

SOAP Web Services - http://wiki.alfresco.com/wiki/Alfresco_Content_Management_Web_Services

JCR-RMI - http://wiki.alfresco.com/wiki/JCR-RMI_Extension

Re: foundation api: in-process or in-webapp?

hbf — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:05:09 GMT

[…]for all other uses you'll have to use one of Alfresco's remote APIs

You may want to consider Tomcat's crossContext configuration option. I've used this to access, from a second webapp running next to the Web Client, the Alfresco repository (see for instance this wiki page).

Kaspar