webservice application in Demandware

Question

I need to develope WAS application and should be hosted into Demandware platform. Can i develop the WAS application using tomcat and can host it into the Demandware or should WAS application be developed in the Demandware platform?

I am new to Demanware platform and WAS. Guide me.

Answer 1

Demandware has the core framework is closed to third parties and is exposed via the Demandware script and REST API's as well as Demandware's own Pipelet system. Sadly you can't deploy external application in Demandware server, we have to separately create new app in UX studio You can get the proper help on Demandware Wiki or on Exchange

Answer 2

Demandware is Software as a Service (SaaS) provider, which will not allow you to access the underlying infrastructure (e.g. Tomcat server, Oracle DB, etc.) to make/install your custom extensions.

UPDATE (25.09.2015): Currently Demandware are making extensions to their controllers, migrating from pipeleine-based controllers to script based ones. Chances are that at some point they may even introduce an API for creating web-services.

Until this happens, your only option is to make some custom pipelines and utilize something like XML/JSON over HTTP for this type of functionality. (Or if you insist on having it as SOAP based service, you would need to parse the SOAP envelopes with explicit code)

Answer 3

You cannot build a web service outside of the UX Studio paradigm like what you described, but you can build a psuedo-service like pipeline in UX Studio that returns JSON, XML, etc. and it will work more or less just like any other REST service.

Answer 4

Demandware platform is a proprietary technology which allows developing only using their sandboxes and own IDE "UX Studio". All this stuff is available for demandware developers on their xchange portal. Access there could be requested by a merchant you do a development for.