About the ArcGIS Web Adaptor
The ArcGIS Web Adaptor allows ArcGIS for Server to integrate with your existing web server. It is compatible with IIS and Java EE servers such as WebSphere and WebLogic.
The Web Adaptor is an application that runs in your existing website and forwards requests to your GIS servers. It polls your site at a regular interval to learn which machines have been added or removed. It then forwards traffic to only the currently participating machines.
When you prepare to expose your ArcGIS Server site to an external audience, you should install the Web Adaptor or implement comparable request forwarding and security technology.
Benefits of the Web Adaptor
The Web Adaptor provides the following benefits:
Allows you to integrate ArcGIS for Server with your organization's existing web server. By including a web server in your site, you gain the ability to host web applications that use your GIS services.
Allows you to provide a single endpoint that distributes incoming requests to the GIS servers in your site.
Allows you to expose your GIS server through your organization's standard website and port. Use the Web Adaptor if you don't want users to see the default port 6080 or the default site name arcgis.
Allows you to block the ArcGIS Server Administrator Directory and ArcGIS Server Manager from the view of external users.
Allows you to block ArcGIS for Desktop users from establishing administrative or publisher connections to ArcGIS Server.
When using IIS, allows you to use Windows Integrated Authentication to restrict who enters your site at the web tier.
Web Adaptor deployment scenarios
The ArcGIS Web Adaptor can be used in various ArcGIS Server site configurations. For example, in a single-machine deployment, you can have the Web Adaptor reside on the GIS server or offload it to an existing web server. In a multiple-machine deployment, you can have one entry point into your site by installing the Web Adaptor on an existing web server, or you can establish redundancy at the web server tier by installing the Web Adaptor on multiple web servers.
For a detailed description of the different ways you can integrate the Web Adaptor into your existing site architecture, see Deployment scenarios.
Accessing your services with the Web Adaptor installed
After installing and configuring the Web Adaptor, the URLs that you use to access your services will change. Below are some examples of URLs that would change after installing a Web Adaptor to use port 80:
Services Directory (REST web services)
Without the Web Adaptor: http://<GIS server name>:6080/arcgis/rest/services
With the Web Adaptor: http://<web server name>/arcgis/rest/services or http://<web server name>/<web adaptor name>/rest/services
SOAP web services
Without the Web Adaptor: http://<GIS server name>:6080/arcgis/services
With the Web Adaptor: http://<web server name>/arcgis/services or http://<web server name>/<web adaptor name>/services
The Web Adaptor setup experience
The Web Adaptor has its own setup and installation guide; it is not installed with the GIS server. You must install the Web Adaptor on a machine running a web server. This can be a machine already running an ArcGIS Server site, although if the site will be experiencing a heavy load, you might consider installing the Web Adaptor on a separate machine.
Three setups are available for the Web Adaptor depending on your web server and operating system; you will choose one of them:
The ArcGIS Web Adaptor (IIS) setup allows ArcGIS Server to integrate with your IIS web server running on Windows. For more information about the setup, see the ArcGIS Web Adaptor (IIS) installation guide.
The ArcGIS Web Adaptor (Java Platform) setup allows you to integrate with Java EE servers such as WebSphere and WebLogic. This setup is available for Windows. For more information about this setup, see the ArcGIS Web Adaptor (Java Platform) installation guide.
The ArcGIS Web Adaptor (Java Platform) on Linux setup allows you to integrate with Java EE servers such as WebSphere and WebLogic. This setup is available for Linux. For more information about this setup, see the ArcGIS Web Adaptor (Java Platform) on Linux installation guide.