Node ACS allows customers to extend the Appcelerator Cloud Services platform using Node.js. Node.js provides an event-driven and scalable framework for building network applications. With Node ACS, customers can create custom microservices that integrate with ACS features like checkins and social posting. These microservices can leverage Node.js modules and scale using MongoDB. The document provides examples of setting up a Node.js app with ACS, adding services, using modules, calling the ACS API, and connecting to MongoDB for data storage. This allows customers to build and deploy scalable web services without server configuration.

1. Node ACS
Mauro Parra-Miranda
mauropm@gmail.com

2. Agenda
Introduction
NodeJS
Features
Examples

3. Introduction
Fixed set of features in the ACS: checkins, post in
social net works, user administration, etc.
Customers with needs out of that universe were a
kind of lost, since they have to provide their own
webservices for custom stuff.
Customers are not that good in setting up
webservices that escalate; or setup servers in
general.

4. Solution
ACS was already providing a nice escalating
infrastructure; the natural step was to extend that
ser vice to a custom small/micro programs.
Node JS was the selected technology to do the bridge
bet ween the customer and the ACS, with super
escalating power (vitamins added).
Think of ACS as a Meta Cloud Services Provider,
with zero server configuration time.

5. NodeJS
“Node.js is an evented I/O framework for the V8
JavaScript engine. It is intended for writing
scalable net work programs such as web servers.” -
Wikipedia.
Who uses NodeJS? - Yammer, Proxlet, Bocoup, Yahoo,
Walmart, Appcelerator :-)
Niceties: Parallel execution, event driven, mongodb
support, etc.

6. Features
Cluster, crypto, dns, events, file system, http, https,
modules, OS, Path, Process, readline, query strings,
mongodb, timers, strings, tls/ssl, udp/datagram,
utilities, zlib.
You can use modules from the nodejs world, such as:
http://blog.nodejitsu.com/6-must-have-nodejs-
modules
xml2js: if you are using old webservices, you can
easily transform xml responses into javascript
objects with this module. Think SOAP and stuff.

7. Setup
install (from terminal in mac):
$ sudo npm install -g acs
setup (from terminal in mac):
$ acs login
Create a new app (from terminal in mac):
$ acs new myapp
this will create a directory myapp w/ your new
app

8. Edit your app
Go to your directory myapp. Inside you will find
myapp.js. Edit and add this:
api.index = function(req, res) {
res.text('Hello, world!');
logger.info('This is an info message. ' + new Date());
}
Save it.

9. Running your app locally
acs run -d myapp
Go to http://localhost:8080 to see your app running
locally.
If you are running jenkins, your app will use other
port (Jenkins uses 8080 by default), so you will
likely end in 8081 port.

10. Running your app in ACS
acs publish -d myapp
You will see your app running at
http://<appid>.cloudservices.appcelerator.com
It’s like having a Heroku in appc.

11. Service
The app now has one service (or a single endpoint)
called api.index. The args are “Express framework”
Request and Response Objects
I.e. we are running express. Check more about it
here: http:/ /expressjs.com/
You can add more services, with “ add”.
acs
acs add <name>
You will expose this new service in t wo ways. One
public at: <app_url>/<name> and one in the code by
api.<name>

12. Modules
You can use any nodejs modules within your app,
using npm.
You will need to list the modules you are using
(dependencies) in the package.json file. So, when you
deploy the app (either locally or in the ACS
infrastructure), the modules will be installed in your
running instance.
Besides the Node modules, you will have the logger
function for log and the builtin ACS library for
calling the ACS services.

13. Big fat example
Check this call to the ACS
login - user level
Call to ACS Places
You can call any of the functions in ACS api!

14. Real problem - Escalate
Escalate - This is the real issue. You will need
something that will escalate properly and easily.
Now, with NodeJS and ACS, you can escalate your
webservices. Which, usually, will depend on a
database.
You now will have access to MongoDB - i.e., this
next generation non-relational db.
Think of mongodb as a db that will store objects
instead of rows and columns - forget the excel type
of order, get into a objects.

15. Setup mongodb
Create an app.
Add mongodb as dependency in the package.json:
"dependencies": {
"mongodb": ">=1.1.6"
},

16. Open connection to
mongodb

17. Insert a record

18. Query a record

19. Mongoose
Module to provide ORM-alike features to NodeJS.
This is, will abstract the objects from your
Javascript to MongoDB records easily.
https://github.com/learnboost/mongoose/

20. NodeJS - how we escale?
You have a service, with a single point of entry (like
url/ser vice).
In order to not block the server, you will need a
request handler (worker) that will actually do the
job, freeing the service to continue into listen mode.
the request handler will actually implement the
steps to do the processing - this is how you
escalate.
Forkity Fork!*
* sorry, i used to be a linux guy - fork processes

21. Resources
Node Beginner - http://www.nodebeginner.org
Appc Blog - http://developer.appcelerator.com/blog/
2012/09/node-js-for-acs-public-developer-
preview.html
Appc Custom code tutorial - http://
cloud.appcelerator.com/docs/nodejs/
custom_code_tutorial