Adding a service as an item in ArcGIS Online

In addition to creating web applications that reference your ArcGIS Server services, you should also consider adding your GIS services as items in ArcGIS Online. Using this method increases the exposure of your published services and allows users (within your organization, outside, or both) to easily find your services in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS for Desktop.

When you add your GIS service as an item, the metadata you've entered for the GIS service, for example, summary, description, and tags, is automatically transferred to ArcGIS Online. The quality of metadata is directly tied to the quality of search results; if you haven't had a chance to include metadata, you should do so before adding your item. For more information, see Metadata for services.

There are two ways to add an item in ArcGIS Online: during publishing and after publishing. The steps in the sections below describe these two methods.

Adding your service as an item during publishing

You can configure your GIS service to be added as an item in ArcGIS Online when you publish. To do so, follow these steps:

Steps:

1. Follow the instructions in How to publish a service. When you reach the Service Editor, move on to step 2 below.
2. On the left pane of the Service Editor, click the Sharing tab.
3. Sign in to ArcGIS.com. If you don't have an account, you can create one by following the instructions on the panel. Click OK.
4. On the Sharing panel, choose how your item will be made available in ArcGIS Online:
   • My content: Selecting this option only references the service in your personal ArcGIS Online workspace, called My Content. The item is inaccessible to other ArcGIS Online users and clients on the web.
   • Everyone (public): Selecting this option makes your service public. This means anybody can access and see your service in ArcGIS Online, including users on the web.
   • Members of these groups: You can keep your service semiprivate by sharing it only with groups you belong to on ArcGIS Online. A current list of groups you belong to appears once you select this option.
5. Complete the steps in How to publish a service. When you publish your service, it is also added as an item in ArcGIS Online.
6. In a web browser, navigate to arcgis.com and sign in.
7. Click My Content and verify that your service appears as an item in the content list.
8. Optionally, consider additional methods for sharing your item with others on ArcGIS Online and the web. For more information, see Sharing your content in the ArcGIS.com Help.

Adding your service as an item after publishing

If you've already published your service, you can add it as an item on ArcGIS Online at any time. To do so, follow these steps:

Steps:

1. In a web browser, navigate to arcgis.com and sign in. If you don't have an account, you can create one by following the instructions on the sign in page.
2. Open My Content and click the Add Item button.
3. In the Add Item window, from The item is drop-down list, choose On the web.
4. Choose the service type that you'll be adding as an item.
   Note:

   Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC), WCS; WFS; WMTS; and WPS services cannot be added as items on ArcGIS Online. For more information, click the Supported Items link on the Add Item window.

5. Enter the REST URL of the service, for example, http://MyServer:6080/arcgis/rest/services/MyMapService/MapServer.

   To find the REST URL of your service, open the ArcGIS Server Services Directory, typically located at http://<server name>:<port number>/arcgis/rest/services, and browse to the service you want to add as an item. You can copy the REST URL directly from the browser's address bar.

6. If you added a WMS service, choose the layers you want to be visible.
7. If you've already created Metadata for services for your service, you'll see the metadata entered automatically in the Add Item window. If no metadata exists, enter a title and tags for your item.
   Tip:

   Tags are words or short phrases that describe your item. Separate terms with commas. Federal land is considered one tag, while Federal, land is considered two tags. Alternatively, you can click the Choose from your tags link to open the list of tags you've used previously and choose the tags you want to use for this item.

8. Click Add Item. Your item is added in ArcGIS Online and appears in My Content.

   To make your item available to ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS for Desktop, and web users, you'll need to share it.

9. In My Content, click the check box next to the item you want to share and click Share.
10. On the Share window, choose how your item will be made available in ArcGIS Online:
    • Everyone (public): Selecting this option makes your service public. This means anybody can access and see your item in ArcGIS Online, including users on the web.
    • Members of these groups: You can keep your service semiprivate by sharing it only with groups you belong to on ArcGIS Online. A current list of groups you belong to appears once you select this option.

    For more information, see Sharing your content in the ArcGIS.com Help.