Developing data grid applications with the REST gateway

You can use the Representational State Transfer (REST) gateway to access simple data grids that are hosted by a collective. This REST gateway is useful when you must access grid data from non-Java environments.

Before you begin

You can use the REST gateway with WebSphere® eXtreme Scale Version 8.6 or later.

About this task

Use the REST gateway to access simple data grid data from non-Java environments such as the DataPower® XI50 Appliance or a .NET application. You can also use the REST gateway to access map data from a Java™ virtual machine that cannot host the IBM® Object Request Broker (ORB) that is used by the Java-based ObjectMap API.

Transactions

Each REST operation to the WebSphere eXtreme Scale begins and ends an independent transaction to the data grid. It is not possible to chain together multiple operations into a single transaction.

Load balancing

When you are using the REST gateway, it is the client responsibility to load balance their requests onto the WebSphere eXtreme Scale collective. You can use an external load balancer or add additional logic in the HTTP client you are using in the client program.

Security

Communication through the REST gateway does not result in a secure configuration. Read about web application security in the WebSphere Application Serverdocumentation to enable access control in REST gateway.

Relationship to WebSphere eXtreme Scale REST data service

The REST gateway is a separate entity from the WebSphere eXtreme Scale REST data service, which implements the Microsoft ADO.NET Data Services interface.