Mashup
Dosed By sajjad syed — M&E Team (from MphasiS Software Services)
What is a Mashup?
A mashup is a website or web application that seamlessly combines content from
more than one source into an integrated experience.
Content used in mashups is typically sourced from a third party via a public
interface or API. Other methods of sourcing content for mashups include Web
feeds (e.g. RSS or Atom) and JavaScript.
Many people are experimenting with mashups using eBay, Amazon, Google, and
Yahoos APIs. The increased use and popularity of mashups has increased with the
emergence of Web 2.0, which is characterized by active user participation and
interaction.
The architecture of mashup web applications is always composed of three parts:
• The content provider: it is the source of the data. Data is made available
using an API and different Web-protocols such as RSS, REST, and Web Service
• The mashup site: is the web application that provides the new service using
different data sources that are not owned by it.
• The client web browser: is the user interface of the mashup. In a
web-application, the content can be mashed by the client web browsers using
client side web language for example JavaScript.
Types of Mashups:
There are many types of mashups, such as consumer mashups, data mashups, and
business mashups.
Consumer mashups:
Consumer mashups combine different forms of media from multiple
sources and combine them into a single graphical interface. Consumer mashups
are aimed at the general public, that is, consumers. Examples of consumer
mashups include the many Google Maps applications, iGuide and Radioclouds.
Data mashups:
Data mashups combine similar types of media and information from multiple
sources into a single graphical representation. An example of a data mashup is
the Havaria Information Services' AlertMap. which combines current data from
over 200 sources related to severe weather conditions, biohazard threats and
seismic information from around the world, and displays them on a single map of
the world. Another example of a data mashup is Yahoo Pipes
Business mashups:
Business mashups focus on various forms of data aggregation into a single
presentation, but also allow for collaborative function ability amongst
businesses and developers. Serena Software is a company involved in the
business mashup industry.
How It works?
Refer to howitworks.bmp attached.
Data:
The core element of any mashup is the data being aggregated and presented to
the user. Although the above diagram depicts the source of the data as a
database, the concept of a mashup does not require a database that is local to
the mashup software or the client. The data can strictly come from Web services
where data is serialized to XML or JSON (this is the most common pattern in
Internet-based mashups). RSS feeds Use of RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds
is a common source of primary or supplemental data for mashups. RSS feeds are
easy to consume as they are XML documents, and many libraries exist to
manipulate the feeds. The format and specification for RSS is well documented
and understood with only a few variations from version to version. Web services
It is also common to include calls to Web services within mashups. It is common
to see both WSDL-based Web services and REST-based Web services, with some
services exposing both styles. Web
services can be used to provide additional data or used to transform the data
being mashed up. For a map-based mashup, the data may only contain street
addresses and a call to a WSDL or REST-based Web service may be required to
translate the street address to a Longitude / Latitude coordinate for the map.
Platform services Figure 2 depicts a special class of services that are used to
create mashups. We are calling these platform services because they provide
functionality beyond the typical request/response model of traditional Web
services. A typical example of this is the mapping service provided by Virtual
Earth. Virtual Earth includes an entire array of server-side and client-side
processing capabilities, as well as the “services in the cloud.” We see the
emergence of cloud-based building block services that begin to create value.
For example, the Amazon S3 service offers storage “in the cloud”; this makes it
easier to expose any static data
by uploading it to a hosted storage provider. Microsoft’s BizTalk Services is
a platform service that provides a different capability – the ability to relay
communications from the Internet across a corporate firewall, thus exposing
internal services for consumption by business partners or third parties
building their own enterprise mashups.
An Example:
Refer to mashup_example.bmp attached.
Mashup applications:
Thus far we have identified many of the types of services that can be used to
create mashups, but we have not addressed the importance of the software that
creates and delivers the mashup experience. Think of the mashup application as
a combination of middle-tier services and some lightweight business logic. For
Internet-based mashups, the software is usually written using Web technologies
(like PHP or ASP. NET), but we are starting to see the line between server
processing and client application blur with the emergence of Rich Internet
Applications (RIAs). RIAs are applications that run inside the browser with
rich functionality similar to that of many desktop applications. These
typically do not require a client side installation beyond a generic plug-in
such as Adobe Flash or Microsoft Silverlight.
Client application:
The client application is how the mashup is delivered and presented to the
user. For public Internet mashups the most common client application is a Web
browser that receives HTML and JavaScript from delivered from a Web server over
HTTP. However, we have started to see mashups being delivered with RIA
platforms as well. In this model, the client can provide more visual richness
and can even provide some of the mashup processing on the client side.
Further References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashup_(web_application_hybrid)
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb906060.aspx
http://www.numotion.net/news/buzzwords/mashup-hybrid-web-application
SaaS
Dosed by Baskar P – M & E Team (from MphasiS Software Services)
What is a SaaS?
Software as a Service (SaaS) is an emergent mechanism of delivering software
applications to customers over the Internet. Software as a Service or On Demand
software can be implemented rapidly and eliminates the infrastructure and
ongoing costs that traditional applications require.
SaaS, commonly referred to as the Application Service Provider (ASP) model, is
heralded by many as the new wave in application software distribution.
Following the maxim that “the Internet changes everything,” many believe that
traditional packaged desktop and enterprise applications will soon be swept
away by the tide of Web-based, outsourced products and services that remove the
responsibility for installation, maintenance and upgrades from over-burdened
MIS staff. Some analysts and industry members believe that packaged software,
as a separate entity will cease to exist. While such drastic predictions have
not yet happened, due to technical and business issues, the spirit of this
change – the delivery, management and payment of software as a service rather
than a product – is affecting all participants in the software industry.
How does it work?
In the SaaS model, the application, or service, is deployed from a centralized
data center across a network - Internet, Intranet, LAN, or VPN – providing
access and use on a recurring fee basis. Users "rent," "subscribe to," “are
assigned”, or "are granted access to" the applications from a central provider.
Business models vary according to the level to which the software is
streamlined, to lower price and increase efficiency, or value-added through
customization to further improve digitized business processes.
SaaS offers on demand pay and use software such as on demand CRM software, on
demand ERP software and on demand commercial software etc. The user of the
software need not buy the software to use it due to which the SaaS model is
also called rent a software model. In some cases, the enterprise software
companies will develop the applications that support SaaS platform and make
them available on the SaaS platform themselves. In other cases, independent
organizations might buy the applications and run them on the SaaS platform to
deliver application services to other end user organizations.
Benefits:
SaaS has the following benefits in it:
• Low cost of entry.
• Zero Infrastructure - Reduced Overheads.
• Single Instance, Multi-Tenant Efficiency.
• Cost-effective Infinite Scalability.
• Increased Accessibility and Productivity.
• Higher quality offerings at lower costs.
• Easy to implement.
• Improved Security.
• Defined Predictable Spends.
• Platform Independence.
SaaS strategy not only eliminates the need for additional IT infrastructure
spends, it substantially takes the burden off your internal IT staff. With the
SaaS advantage, your staff does not have to manage upgrades, troubleshoot
problems for generic software applications. This helps the company to direct
limited in-house IT resources towards more business oriented initiatives. These
business oriented initiatives are the ones that are usually un-out-source-able
and require the focus of internal IT teams.
Further References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_as_a_Service
http://www.cio.com/article/109706/The_Truth_About_Software_as_a_Service_SaaS_?contentId=109706&slug=&;
http://www.saas-showplace.com/saasinsights.html
OAuth
Dosed by Swapna K M – M & E Team (from MphasiS Software Services)
What is OAuth?
It’s an open protocol to allow secure API authorization in a simple and
standard method from desktop and web applications.
The OAuth protocol enables websites or applications (Consumers) to access
Protected Resources from a web service (Service Provider) via an API, without
requiring Users to disclose their Service Provider credentials to the
Consumers. More generally, OAuth creates a freely-implementable and generic
methodology for API authentication.
OAuth does not require a specific user interface or interaction pattern, nor
does it specify how Service Providers authenticate Users, making the protocol
ideally suited for cases where authentication credentials are unavailable to
the Consumer, such as with OpenID.
How OAuth does?
1. OAuth aims to unify the experience and implementation of delegated web
service authentication into a single, community-driven protocol.
2. OAuth builds on existing protocols and best practices that have been
independently implemented by various websites.
3. An open standard, supported by large and small providers alike, promotes a
consistent and trusted experience for both application developers and the users
of those applications.
How OAuth works?
OAuth authentication is the process in which Users grant access to their
Protected Resources without sharing their credentials with the Consumer. OAuth
uses Tokens generated by the Service Provider instead of the User’s credentials
in Protected Resources requests.
The process uses two Token types:
Request Token:
Used by the Consumer to ask the User to authorize access to the Protected
Resources. The User-authorized Request Token is exchanged for an Access Token,
MUST only be used once, and MUST NOT be used for any other purpose. It is
RECOMMENDED that Request Tokens have a limited lifetime.
Access Token:
Used by the Consumer to access the Protected Resources on behalf of the User.
Access Tokens MAY limit access to certain Protected Resources, and MAY have a
limited lifetime. Service Providers SHOULD allow Users to revoke Access Tokens.
Only the Access Token SHALL be used to access the Protect Resources.
OAuth Authentication is done in three steps:
1. The Consumer obtains an unauthorized Request Token.
2. The User authorizes the Request Token.
3. Token for an Access Token.
4. The Consumer exchanges the Request Token for an Access Token.
Further References
http://oauth.net/core/1.0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OAuth
http://oauth.net/documentation/getting-started
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