Overview

Some applications that you build may not require the advanced functionality of the Web ADF. For example, suppose you just want to embed a map into a non-GIS Web application, or create a simple overlay of your data on an online base map. These scenarios, sometimes called mashups, are supported by REST and JavaScript APIs that have been added to ArcGIS Server at version 9.3.

These applications consist of client-side JavaScript and related dynamic HTML. No server-side code (ASP.NET, etc.) is required for these applications, although it is possible to use server-side logic for additional functionality. The APIs use online JavaScript libraries that are hosted by ESRI, which makes it easier to deploy the application.

You can build a JavaScript API application without installing any ESRI software. Simply visit the ArcGIS Server Resource Center to access the appropriate JavaScript API:

• The ArcGIS^® JavaScript^TM API offers a simple browser based experience for building mapping applications and doing analysis. You can fuse data sources from different servers, perform identify and find operations, add points of interest, and add markup graphics.
• The ArcGIS^® JavaScript^TM Extension for Microsoft^® Bing Maps^TM allows you to display your ArcGIS Server maps over the Microsoft Bing Maps base map. You can perform query and geoprocessing tasks on your services and work with the results as VEShapes. You can also perform geocoding operations and view the results on the base map.
• The ArcGIS^® JavaScript^TM Extension for the Google Maps^TM API allows you to integrate your maps with the Google Maps base layers. You can perform query and geoprocessing tasks on your services and work with the results as features. You can also publish your content as Google Mapplets.

These APIs use the ArcGIS Server REST API to access information about your services. ArcGIS Server 9.3 deployments expose information about their services through a series of URLs for convenient access by developers. The service information and the corresponding URLs are also available through a visual interface called the Services Explorer.