Components of ArcGIS for Server

GIS resources such as maps and globes that have been made available on ArcGIS for Server are referred to as services. The purpose of an ArcGIS Server site is to receive requests to the services, fulfill them, and send results back to client applications that need to use them. The GIS server provides a set of tools that allow you to manage the services; for example, you can use the ArcGIS Server Manager application to add and remove services.

It's useful to understand how an ArcGIS Server site is put together so that you can build a site where GIS services run efficiently and fulfill the needs of your applications. This topic serves as an introduction to the components of an ArcGIS Server site.

ArcGIS Server site architecture

The following components constitute an ArcGIS Server site:

To read about the above components in greater detail, see the topic Inside an ArcGIS Server site.

The people component

The software components described above are of no use without people to author the data, maintain the services, and use the services. An expanded view of the ArcGIS Server site includes content authors, server administrators, application developers, and end users of applications that use the GIS services.

12/18/2014