RAD Server Overview

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What is RAD Server?

RAD Server is a turn-key application foundation for rapidly building and deploying services based applications. RAD Server enables developers to quickly build new application back-ends or migrate existing Delphi or C++ client/server business logic to a modern services based architecture that is open, stateless, secure and scalable.

RAD Server is easy to develop, deploy and operate making it ideally suited for ISVs and OEMs building re-deployable solutions. RAD Server allows you to take your existing code and convert it to REST API endpoints.

RAD Server offers many great features:

  • Multi-Tier Development made easy: Integrations provide out of the box connectivity with external servers, applications and services.
  • Quickly Build your UX Forms for Desktop and Mobile platforms in RAD Studio, Delphi or C++Builder.
  • Manage your APIs and users, and analyze utilization and API activity via the built-in RAD Server Application Management Portal.
  • Host your RAD Server on a private “on prem” Windows server or cloud host on Amazon, Rackspace or Azure Clouds.
  • Deploy your server-side Delphi and C++ code to RAD Server, creating automatic REST/JSON API endpoints for your clients.
  • Connect RAD Server to your Enterprise Databases, Cloud Services and IoT Devices to extend your application.
  • A collection of ready to use key built-in services to power your application.
  • Includes core functions such as user directory services and user management, push notifications, user location tracking, and built-in data storage.
  • Configure user groups and add users via the RAD Server portal or import from LDAP. Assign API access rights to control what functionality different user groups have access to.
  • New: RAD Server Multi-Tenancy Support in 10.2: A single RAD Server instance with a single RAD Server database connection can support multiple isolated tenants. For more information, see the RAD Server Multi-Tenancy Support topic.

Comparison with DataSnap

Before RAD Server, developers custom built back-end Delphi and C++Builder application servers using server toolkits like DataSnap which provided a few basic server building blocks for multi-tier, but left the vast majority of the development to the developer. With RAD Server, developers can now simply load Delphi and C++ business logic methods into RAD Server, add some users, and go.

Included technologies

RAD Studio Rio includes developer features for RAD Server for developing REST endpoints, Location Tracking and IoT Edgeware are Enterprise Mobility Services, BeaconFence, ThingPoint, and ThingConnect.

Easy REST API Endpoint Creation, Publishing, and Management

RAD Server makes it fast and easy to build flexible back-end servers for your multi-tier application solution. Developers simply load Delphi and C++ business logic into the server to generate managed REST/JSON API endpoints.

To develop REST endpoints for RAD Server, developers use the RAD Server (EMS) (“EMS”) components listed in the IDE on the Tool Palette under the “Enterprise Mobility Services” category.

IoT Enterprise Access Points

IoT Edgeware extends the functionality of REST Endpoint Publishing and provides an enterprise access point between remote gadgets and devices. IoT Edgeware allows you to locally store, filter, and compute vast amounts of IoT data collected at the edge while ensuring only critical data is synced with the central repository.

To develop IoT Edgeware for RAD Server, developers use ThingPoint which is an extension to EMS and represented with TEMSEdgeService in the “Enterprise Mobility Services” category in the Tool Palette in the IDE.

Indoor and Outdoor Location/Proximity Solution

Track user movement both indoors and outdoors, and respond to proximity events when users enter or exit custom beacon zones or approach designated beacon points.

To develop Location Tracking, developers use the BeaconFence components available as a download through the GetIt Package Manager (via Tools > GetIt Package Manager > Internet of Things).

Smart Device IoT Connectivity Framework

RAD Server makes it easy to connect a wide array of wireless smart devices and sensors into your application solution, even in remote and difficult to access locations. Developers have access to over 50 pre-built components for many popular healthcare, fitness, and home automation Bluetooth LE and Z-Wave IoT devices.

To connect IoT devices to clients or RAD Server ThingPoint Edgeware, developers use ThingConnect IoT device components which are available as a download through the GetIt Package Manager (via Tools > GetIt Package Manager > Internet of Things).

Trial

RAD Studio Rio includes a RAD Server trial version for a deployment of up to 5 users. To develop and test REST endpoints, Location Tracking, or IoT Edgeware for RAD Server requires an Enterprise or Architect edition of RAD Studio, Delphi or C++Builder Rio. A trial edition of Enterprise or Architect Rio will also allow users to evaluate developing services for RAD Server and will include a 5 user RAD Server trial deployment.

The developer features for RAD Server for developing REST endpoints, Location Tracking, and IoT Edgeware included in RAD Studio Rio are Enterprise Mobility Services, ThingPoint, BeaconFence and ThingConnect. All of those developer technologies are part of RAD Studio Rio.

Production environment

Click here to view the steps for deploying RAD Server in a production environment.

You need to enter the RAD Server site license.

For custom resources, you can use a tool like http://www.dependencywalker.com to determine the bpl dependencies of the custom resource.

Getting Started Resources

We invite you to watch our RAD Server Deep Dive webinar replay which is broken down into individual chapters for easy viewing: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwUPJvR9mZHgccq4EfTcsCngRqpTmm_wn

Replay slides and demo projects shown in the webinar can be downloaded here.

You can also find tutorials on the different technologies that are part of RAD Server by following the docwiki links above.

For more Getting Started videos, please visit our YouTube Channel.

Sample Projects

REST Endpoint Publishing and IoT Edgeware

  • You can find Delphi and C++ code samples in GitHub Repositories. Search by name into the samples repositories according to your RAD Studio version.

ThingConnect IoT Device Components

  • For each IoT component pack installed through the GetIt Package Manager, you can find sample projects by navigating to: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Embarcadero\Studio\19.0\Samples\Internet of Things\Object Pascal\Thing Connect

Location Tracking

  • After installing the BeaconFence component pack through the GetIt Package Manager, you can find sample projects by navigating to: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Embarcadero\Studio\19.0\Samples\Internet of Things\Object Pascal\Beacon Fence

EULA

You can view the RAD Server EULA here.

RAD Server product page

For a full list of features, visit the RAD Server product page

See Also