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Mike BatesMike Bates 

force.com app integration with existing AWS app

I have built out a cakephp application that is hosted on AWS and am now looking to build a force.com app that connects to the same database and provides some of the (relevant) functionality to clients who have a salesforce account.

 

This will be my first project in force.com and I'm not sure exactly where to start. Should I just use the IDE, and if I do that can I build an app using an existing mysql database not hosted at force.com?

Best Answer chosen by Admin (Salesforce Developers) 
joshbirkjoshbirk

Hey Mike -

 

First steps would certainly be to download the IDE and setup yourself up with a Developer Org (if you haven't already) - conveniently free and easy.

 

As for connecting to your existing AWS data, I'm not sure what the security model you would require to have ... but if cakephp could provide a REST API into that data, then you've got a few choices.  You could use Apex to do callouts to the API with external HTTP callouts, or use something in a more middle layer like JavaScript or Flex to do the communication.  Apex is going to give you the tightest integration with VisualForce, of course.

 

Alternatively a very low level route is to use VisualForce tabs and components which essentially just act as frames/iframes into your existing site so that at least the users can access the data within a (more) unified interface.

All Answers

joshbirkjoshbirk

Hey Mike -

 

First steps would certainly be to download the IDE and setup yourself up with a Developer Org (if you haven't already) - conveniently free and easy.

 

As for connecting to your existing AWS data, I'm not sure what the security model you would require to have ... but if cakephp could provide a REST API into that data, then you've got a few choices.  You could use Apex to do callouts to the API with external HTTP callouts, or use something in a more middle layer like JavaScript or Flex to do the communication.  Apex is going to give you the tightest integration with VisualForce, of course.

 

Alternatively a very low level route is to use VisualForce tabs and components which essentially just act as frames/iframes into your existing site so that at least the users can access the data within a (more) unified interface.

This was selected as the best answer
Mike BatesMike Bates

Thanks for that Josh, it's a great help.

 

It sounds like my best route is to enable REST on the controllers I want to use in force and build an app with Apex.
Matt HallettMatt Hallett
Looking to do something very similar with Amazon AWS RDS (Postgres) and Force.com's "External Data Source" toolset.  (ODS, etc.)  Doesn't appear to be working but I'm able to connect to both with integration tools like Skyvia in trial mode, so I'm surprised that this isn't working.