Where Now for ArcGIS Web Apps?

You may have seen recent announcements from Esri Inc regarding the exciting future they have planned for web applications.

For a number of years Esri have been developing the next generation of our popular ArcGIS API for JavaScript, moving from the 3.x series of API’s to a new 4.x series of API’s. The 4.x API’s are renamed as the ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript. This renaming reflects the fact that the 4.x SDK is a step change in performance, functionality and ease of use as compared to the 3.x API’s.

The ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript now brings an unparalleled range of GIS capabilities to your modern browser based applications. Modern WebGL-enabled, 64-bit browsers enable us to provide massive performance increases for analytics such as viewshed and shadow cast and immersive client side user experiences with 2D and 3D map visualisation and client side rendering such as flow animation, image blending and layer effects.

If you are not a JavaScript Developer you may think that that is interesting but not particularly relevant to you. However it is of relevance to anyone using ArcGIS capabilities in a browser based application. This is because we at Esri use our own API’s and SDK’s to develop all the browser based  applications delivered with your ArcGIS system. These include the Map Viewer in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise as well the application builders such a Web AppBuilder that so many of you use to build and deploy your own custom applications.

Many of you will have existing web applications built using ArcGIS Web AppBuilder that rely on the ArcGIS API for JavaScript 3.x. These may have been built using the Online or Enterprise edition or in some cases using the Developer edition. These apps may have been built by Esri Ireland or indeed you may have built them yourself on ArcGIS Enterprise or Online. Using WebApp Builder you must have a map as the central element in your app and the functionality generally revolves around the map element. You will recognise these apps by their traditional 2D/3D map centric style.

Our customers have told us that they sometimes feel constrained by using these very map centric approaches and we have responded by bringing you a new experience for building your web applications, this is appropriately named ‘ArcGIS Experience Builder’:

https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-experience-builder/overview

ArcGIS Experience Builder is a highly configurable solution for building compelling web apps without writing code. ArcGIS Experience Builder is built on the ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript, it offers you the opportunity to design and build flexible ‘no-code’ browser based applications that load optimised for each target device, desktop, phone or tablet. Like WebApp Builder, Experience Builder also has Online, Enterprise and Developer editions.

You can choose from one of the supplied templates to create an immersive web experience for your audience that unifies web maps, apps, pages, interconnected widgets, and both 2D and 3D that completely engage your audience in a way that just isn’t possible with ArcGIS WebApp Builder.  As with ArcGIS WebApp Builder all apps are built with a flexible drag-and-drop interface. Developers may also build custom widgets, themes, and actions with low-code development to further extend the capabilities of your web apps. Alternatively you can use one of the ‘classic’ WebApp Builder Templates we provide within ArcGIS Experience Builder to preserve the continuity of your user experience and the look and feel of your existing apps:

https://www.esri-ireland.ie/en-ie/resource-centre/we-talk-tech/where-now-for-arcgis-web-apps1 

Experience Builder is capable of delivering a richer more immersive User experience than Web AppBuilder. But this does require a little more configuration effort than was previously the case. For those occasions where you simply want to quickly create a web app that embodies your webmap and provides standard functionality we now supply a series of ‘Instant Apps’ for just this purpose. Engineered with the same ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript, these apps enable you to deliver ‘no-code’ solutions in minutes.

Because of the technical advances in the ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript it is not possible to simply convert apps from ArcGIS Web AppBuilder to ArcGIS Experience Builder. At Esri Ireland we are using ArcGIS Experience Builder as our first choice for developing new applications and we would encourage you to do likewise. There are a wealth of community resources online, including blogs, tutorials and videos to help you transition from ArcGIS Web AppBuilder to ArcGIS Experience Builder. And, of course, we at Esri Ireland are also here to help should you wish us to assist you in transitioning your skills or migrating any of your business critical applications:

https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/web-appbuilder/announcements/arcgis-web-appbuilder-roadmap-for-retirement/

As uptake of ArcGIS Experience Builder increases in our user community we will retire the ArcGIS API for JavaScript 3.x and the various Editions of ArcGIS Web AppBuilder. In parallel with these retirements we have a published product roadmap for ArcGIS Experience Builder which will see the addition of new widgets over the course of the next two years. Our objective is to offer you the majority of the functional widgets from ArcGIS Web AppBuilder in the new ArcGIS Experience Builder. We are focused on the most popular widgets that offer key functionality. This is an active development program so we encourage you to monitor the relevant channels and check back with your Account Manager should you have questions about specific functionality:

https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-experience-builder-documents/functionality-matrix-for-web-appbuilder-and/ta-p/1113766

ArcGIS Web AppBuilder in ArcGIS Online will retire in the fourth quarter of 2025, other Editions have different associated timelines. The ArcGIS API for JavaScript 3.x will retire in July 2024 but will continue to be hosted on our CDN and this means that existing ArcGIS Web AppBuilder apps that you have built will continue to work. However, you will not be able to create new apps, or modify existing apps, using ArcGIS Web AppBuilder after the retirement of any of its editions. There will be no further bug fixes or enhancements. Updates to browsers could introduce functional or security issues which will not be addressed by Esri. In addition, technical support from Esri will no longer be available.

We understand that all technology transitions can be challenging for you and your users. For that reason we are continuing to host the existing ArcGIS API for JavaScript 3.x and your apps will continue to work for some considerable time. Simultaneously we are developing our platform and our capabilities and responding to developments in the wider technical arena. We want to move forward hand in hand with our user community and our Professional Services team are available to give you any help and guidance that you may require as you make this important transition.

For any further questions, contact us at mapsmakesense@esri-ireland.ie  and we will be happy to guide you.