WaveMaker

WaveMaker, Inc.

Type	Private
Industry	Rapid Application Development Low-code Platform aPaaS Digital Transformation Agile Software Development Enterprise Software Cloud computing Computer Software
Founded	2003
Headquarters	Mountain View, CA
Key people	Vijay Pullur, CEO
Products	WaveMaker RAD Platform
Number of employees	Approximately 80 (2016)
Website	www.wavemaker.com

WaveMaker is a private aPaaS (application platform-as-a-service) software for building and running custom apps. WaveMaker provides Rapid API App Development & Deployment to quickly build enterprise-grade multi-device apps, and leverages Docker containerization for an app-optimized infrastructure.^[1]

Products

WaveMaker RAD Platform is a licensed software that enables organizations to run their own end-to-application platform-as-a-service (aPaaS) for rapidly building and efficiently running custom apps.^[2] It also allows developers and business users to work with standard enterprise-grade technologies to immediately create apps that can be easily extended or customized. Those apps can consume APIs, visualize data for insights and automatically support multi-device responsive interfaces.^[3]

WaveMaker RAD Platform enables organizations to deploy applications on public or private cloud infrastructure, and containers can be deployed on top of virtual machines or on bare metal.^[3] At the same time, WaveMaker RAD Platform enables IT to optimize and improve management of its app infrastructure by providing a graphic user interface (GUI) console and capabilities that leverage the power of Docker containerization.^[2]

The solution includes added features for app deployment automation, app lifecycle management, release management, deployment workflow and access rights. The development capabilities of include:^[2][4]

• Rapid app development using WYSIWYG drag and drop—plus the ability to edit generated code
• Auto-responsive apps for web, tablet, and smartphone interfaces
• Enterprise-standard technologies: Java, Hibernate, Spring, AngularJS, JQuery
• Easy API integration and reusable API "Prefab" modules
• Team collaboration capabilities including version control, shared projects, and activity feeds

It also combines these with container management capabilities provided on top of Docker for:^[2]

• Accessibility: An easy-to-use GUI portal and Docker-provided APIs and CLI
• Manageability: Including software stack packaging, container provisioning, stack and app upgrading, replication, fault tolerance and more—all from the GUI console
• Optimization: Autoscaling and elasticity, automatic hibernation and restarting of idle apps in milliseconds
• Flexibility: Private deployment of aPaaS on-premises or dedicated cloud; ability to test and run apps behind the firewall

WaveMaker Studio

WaveMaker RAD Platform is built around WaveMaker Studio - a WYSIWYG rapid development tool that allows computer-literate business users to compose an application using a drag-and-drop method.^[5] WaveMaker supports rapid application development (RAD) for the web, similar to what products like PowerBuilder and Lotus Notes provided for client server computing.^[6]

WaveMaker Studio allows developers to produce an application once, then auto-adjust it for a particular target platform, whether a PC, mobile phone, or tablet.^[5] Applications created using the WaveMaker Studio follow a model–view–controller architecture.

WaveMaker Studio has been downloaded more than two million times. The Studio community consists of 30,000 registered users.^[7] Applications generated by WaveMaker Studio are licensed under the Apache license.^[8]

Studio 7, released in September 2014, is the latest version of WaveMaker Studio. While Studio 7 is based on AngularJS framework, previous Studio versions (6.7, 6.6, 6.5) use the Dojo Toolkit. Some of the features of WaveMaker Studio include:

• Automatic generation of Hibernate mapping, Hibernate queries from database schema import.
• Automatic creation of Enterprise Data Widgets based on schema import. Each widget can display data from a database table as a grid or edit form. Edit form implements create, update, delete functions automatically.
• Visual, drag & drop assembly of web applications.
• WYSIWYG Ajax development studio runs in a browser.
• Developer sees live application data within the studio (LiveLayout).
• Simplified (one-touch) deployment to Tomcat, Websphere, Weblogic, JBoss.
• Data schema aware forms to edit, update, delete data (LiveForms).
• Mashup tool to assemble web applications based on SOAP, REST and RSS web services, Java Services and databases.
• Leverage existing CSS, HTML and Java.
• Deploys a standard Java .war file.

As an example of the level of complexity of applications that can be built using a WYSIWYG development approach for Ajax applications, the WaveMaker Studio was built using WaveMaker.^[9] WaveMaker is meant for use by web developers who prefer visual tools.^[6]

Technologies and Frameworks

WaveMaker allows one to build applications that run on "Open Systems Stack" based on the following technologies and frameworks: AngularJS, Bootstrap, NVD3, HTML, CSS, Apache Cordova, Hibernate, Spring, Spring Security, Java. The various supported integrations include: ^[10][11][12]

• Databases: Oracle, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, IBM DB2, HSQLDB
• Authentication: LDAP, Active Directory, CAS, Custom Java Service, Database
• Version Control: BitBucket (or Stash), Github, Apache Subversion
• Deployment: Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, WaveMaker Private Cloud (Docker containerization), IBM Web Sphere, Apache Tomcat, SpringSource tcServer, Oracle WebLogic Server, JBoss(WildFly), GlassFish
• App Stores: Google Play, Apple App Store, Windows Store

History

• WaveMaker was founded as ActiveGrid in 2003.
• In November 2007, ActiveGrid was rebranded as WaveMaker with the aim of simplifying the assembly of Web applications, while meeting the architectural, security and governance policies of CIOs.^[13]
• WaveMaker was acquired by VMware, Inc in March 2011 ^[14] but after two years VMWare terminated the support for the WaveMaker project in March 2013.^[15]
• In May 2013, Pramati Technologies acquired the assets of WaveMaker from VMWare.^[16]
• In February 2014, WaveMaker, Inc. released WaveMaker Studio 6.7, the last version of the open source, downloadable Studio.^[17]
• In September 2014, WaveMaker, Inc. launched WaveMaker RAD Platform (with WaveMaker Studio version 7), licensed software that enabled organizations to run their own end-to-end application platform as a service (aPaaS) for building and running custom apps.^[18]

References

External links

• WaveMaker Community
• RedMonk WaveMaker podcast