Smart endpoint architecture
A network-based application development and distribution platform allows application developers to build, modify, and configure dynamic content applications (especially mobile applications) remotely, and without requiring manual software coding. Smart endpoints facilitate creation of distributable applications for multiple operating systems, form factors, access methods, and/or device types, while creating only a single product and associating the product with the desired endpoints corresponding to the operating systems, form factors, access methods, and/or device types. The platform also facilitates software updates, as updates can be made to the product once, rather than once for each version of the application.
1. A software development and distribution platform for preserving associations between products and components, hosted on a server and comprising:
a memory;
a library of configurable user interface components stored on the memory and a library of configurable functional components stored on the memory;
a management services module stored on the memory and configured to modify said configurable user interface components and said configurable functional components to create multiple versions of said configurable user interface components and configurable functional components;
wherein the management services module is configured to version each modified configurable user interface component and each modified configurable functional component with a unique version number;
wherein each versioned configurable user interface component and each versioned configurable functional component is stored on the memory;
wherein a product is immutably associated with one or more of the versioned user interface components and versioned configurable functional components and the product is treated as an immutable delivery that is preserved independently from future versions of the product; and
said platform being configured to provide, in response to client requests through one or more endpoints, said product and the immutably associated one or more versioned configurable user interface components and functional components.
2. The software development and distribution platform of claim 1 , wherein the memory is a cloud storage device.
3. The software development and distribution platform of claim 2 , wherein the modification of said versioned user interface components and versioned configurable functional components by the management services module are extensions of said, respective, user interface components and versioned configurable functional components.
4. The software development and distribution platform of claim 1 , further comprising:
a log of historical associations between products and unique component versions.
5. The software development and distribution platform of claim 4 , further comprising:
a developer interface for presenting the log of historical associations between products and versioned component versions to a developer.
6. A software development and distribution platform for preserving associations between products and packages, hosted on a server and comprising:
a memory;
a library of configurable user interface components stored on the memory and a library of configurable functional components stored on the memory;
wherein said configurable user interface components and said configurable functional components are organized into packages;
a management services module stored on the memory and configured to modify said configurable user interface components and said configurable functional components to create multiple versions of said packages into which said components are organized;
wherein the management services module is configured to version each modified package with a unique version number;
wherein each versioned package is stored on the memory;
wherein a product is immutably associated with one or more of the versioned packages and the product is treated as an immutable delivery that is preserved independently from future versions of the product; and
said platform being configured to provide, in response to client requests through one or more endpoints, said product and the immutably associated one or more versioned packages.
7. The software development and distribution platform of claim 6 , wherein the memory device is a cloud storage device.
8. The software development and distribution platform of claim 6 , wherein the modification of said packages by the management services module are extensions of said packages.
9. The software development and distribution platform of claim 6 , further comprising:
a log of historical associations between products and unique component versions.
10. The software development and distribution platform of claim 9 , further comprising:
a developer interface for presenting the log of historical associations between products and versioned component versions to a developer.
11. A method of preserving associations between products and components in a software development and distribution platform, the method comprising:
storing a library of configurable user interface components and a library of configurable functional components on a memory;
modifying, in a management services module, one or more of said configurable user interface components and said configurable functional components;
versioning said one or more of said modified configurable user interface components and said modified configurable functional components with a unique version number;
immutably associating one or more of said versioned configurable user interface components and said configurable functional components with a product and the product is treated as an immutable delivery that is preserved independently from future versions of the product;
providing said product with the immutably associated one or more versioned configurable user interface components and versioned configurable functional components in response to client requests via one or more endpoints.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the memory is a cloud storage device.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the modification of said versioned user interface components and versioned configurable functional components by the management services module are extensions of said components.
14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
logging historical associations between products and said uniquely versioned components.
15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
presenting the log of historical associations between products and versioned component versions to a developer via a developer interface.
16. A method of preserving associations between products and packages in a software development and distribution platform, the method comprising:
storing a library of configurable user interface components and a library of configurable functional components on a memory;
organizing said configurable user interface components and said configurable functional components into packages;
modifying, in a management services module, one or more of said configurable user interface components and said configurable functional components;
versioning said one or more organized packages with a unique version number;
immutably associating one or more of said versioned packages with a product and the product is treated as an immutable delivery that is preserved independently from future versions of the product;
providing said product with the immutably associated one or more versioned packages in response to client requests via one or more endpoints.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the memory is a cloud storage device.
18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the modification of said packages in said management services module are extensions of said packages.
19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
logging historical associations between products and unique component versions.
20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
presenting the log of historical associations between products and versioned component versions to a developer via a developer interface.