Re: IBM I as a web server?

I guess my feeling is that IBM i gives you a lot of options as I have
indicated before and have included below. Depending on what you want to
do and feel comfortable with, there should be no issues with using
application servers. The information below is based on web services, but
you should be able to extrapolate information and apply it to your
situation.

In most cases, you would be using an HTTP server in association with an
application server.



You need to provide someway to retrieve the data by some application, in
this case some UI that may be residing on various devices (mobile, PC,
etc.).

The defacto standard is to provide a RESTful API that applications may
invoke to retrieve the data. How the data is rendered I will leave it to
you.

You have a lot of options, each with its pros and cons.

On IBM i, some of the ways you have include:

CGI
PHP
Node.js
Integrated web services server (IWS)
Integrated application server (IAS)
Python
Ruby

I am not an expert on the various technologies, but here is by birds eye
view of the aforementioned technologies (with more details on the ones I
have used ;-)):

CGI - give you total control of the incoming and outgoing payloads. May
be written in any ILE language. The burden is on the application to parse
and generate payload formats such as JSON, XML, etc.

PHP - Open source scripting language. Rich in libraries.

Node.js - Open source project based on Google Chrome JavaScript Engine. It


provides a platform for server-side JavaScript applications running
without browsers.

IWS - application server in support of deploying ILE programs and service
programs as web services (SOAP or REST). ILE programmers only deal with
what they are use to - incoming data (XML or JSON) is parsed and passed as


parameters to ILE programs, and output data is handled the same way.

IAS - application server for Java applications.

Python - Open source scripting language. Rich in libraries.

Ruby - Open source scripting language. Rich in libraries.


General information on CGI and the open source technologies may be found
on the web. For IBM i specific information:

CGI - https://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=isg3T1026866#PASEFASTCGI

PHP -
http://www.zend.com/en/solutions/modernize-ibm-i/ibm-i-product



Node.js, Python, Ruby -
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/wikis/home?lang=en#!/wiki/IBM%20i%20Technology%20Updates/page/Open%20Source%20Technologies



IWS - https://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=isg3T1026868


IAS - https://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=isg3T1026865






"MIDRANGE-L" <midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote on 11/26/2018
12:39:46 PM:

From: Booth Martin <booth@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 11/26/2018 12:40 PM
Subject: Re: IBM I as a web server?
Sent by: "MIDRANGE-L" <midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx>

This is the reason for my curiosity. I don't see them as red wine v.
white wine either, but more like sheets v. blankets; both go over us on
a bed but they serve very different purposes. But I emphasize that I
ask because I recognize I have no idea what are the real differences,

I've read the manuals and the differences appear to be real, yet there
seems to be consensus on Midrange that Application Servers are an added
burden of complexity with little added benefit. Hence the questions.