worklight

Worklight is a cross-platform enterprise mobile application development platform that provides a server component and client-side SDKs for building, deploying, and securing mobile apps. Originally developed by Worklight Ltd, the platform supports hybrid, native, and HTML5-based web applications across multiple mobile operating systems, including iOS and Android, with earlier releases also supporting BlackBerry and Windows devices.

Architecture and components: The client side includes SDKs and a development environment for building apps with HTML5 and JavaScript, often using Cordova to create native wrappers. The server side, known as the Worklight server in its peak, offers adapters to connect to enterprise backend systems, REST services, and data sources. It provides security features such as authentication, authorization, single sign-on, and encryption of data in transit and at rest. It also includes push notification support and offline data synchronization to allow apps to function with intermittent connectivity.

Development workflow: Developers build with an integrated development environment, deploy apps to a test server or local environment, and publish to production. The server handles device management, security policies, and runtime services for all deployed apps, while the client SDKs handle the app logic and user interface across platforms.

History and status: Worklight was acquired by IBM in 2012 and incorporated into IBM's MobileFirst Platform Foundation. The Worklight branding was gradually superseded as its capabilities were integrated into the MobileFirst suite, and the platform is now marketed primarily under the MobileFirst branding.