What is Portal for ArcGIS?
Note:This help system contains information about Portal for ArcGIS 10.2 and later versions. Help topics updated to include new content are marked with a note highlighting the differences with the previous version. New help topics specific to a certain version, are marked with a note stating the topic only applies to that version. Some topics featuring workflows that are different from previous versions include legacy notes which link to the previous version of the topic.
Portal for ArcGIS allows you to share maps, applications, and other geographic information with other people in your organization. The content that you share is delivered through a website. You can customize the website to fit your organization's look and feel.
What can I do with Portal for ArcGIS?
Portal for ArcGIS brings together all the geographic information in your ArcGIS platform and shares it throughout your organization. For example, with Portal for ArcGIS you can:
- Create, save, and share web maps
- Create and host web mapping apps
- Search for GIS content within your organization
- Create groups for sharing GIS information with coworkers
- Share links to GIS applications
- Share map and layer packages for use in ArcGIS for Desktop
Portal for ArcGIS puts GIS in the hands of people who might not otherwise have any experience with it. For example, Portal for ArcGIS includes geographic viewers designed for those who are just beginning with GIS. Experienced GIS users can connect to Portal for ArcGIS from ArcGIS for Desktop, developer APIs, and other applications.
To view an example of how Portal for ArcGIS is leveraged in a typical organization, see An example of using Portal for ArcGIS in your organization.
What do I get with Portal for ArcGIS?
Portal for ArcGIS includes the following:
Portal for ArcGIS website—A website where people in your organization will search for content, use it, and share it.
Map viewer—The website includes a map viewer application for designing and saving web maps. Think of the map viewer as a canvas in which you combine GIS information and services to make your own map. You can save your maps, share them with others, and embed them in apps.
ArcGIS applications—Portal for ArcGIS supports user-friendly applications that allow people to interact with web maps from your portal. For example, the map viewer allows you to plug your web maps into JavaScript-based application templates that you can host directly from the portal. Other portal-ready applications include Esri Maps for Office, Operations Dashboard for ArcGIS, Collector for ArcGIS, and more. For a full list of portal-ready applications, see Common clients of Portal for ArcGIS.
Administrator tools—The Portal for ArcGIS website includes administrator tools that allow management of users, groups, and content in the portal website. Only members of the portal who have the administrator role can see these options when they log in to the website.
ArcGIS Portal Directory—The Portal Directory is an interactive view of the ArcGIS REST API's resources for working with the portal. For example, some administrative tasks such as unregistering the Web Adaptor, updating the location of the portal's content directory, and setting the identity store are all available in the Portal Directory. To learn more, see About the ArcGIS Portal Directory.
To learn more about how Portal for ArcGIS works within the ArcGIS system, see The portal's role in ArcGIS.
Getting started
If you are just getting started with Portal for ArcGIS, be sure to review the following topics:
The help system you are reading contains further information about how to use and administer Portal for ArcGIS once it has been installed.