Installing and deploying the Web Client 2.0 (on-premises)

The Web Client 2.0 is a single-page application made up of purely static files that communicates with the Enterprise Server exclusively via the REST API v2.0. On-premises, you run it in Custom Server mode: the files are hosted on a web server of your own, and the user's browser connects from there directly to your Enterprise Server. A "Bundled" mode, in which the Enterprise Server serves the web client files itself, is planned according to the project documentation but not yet available.

Requirements

• Enterprise Server version 19.1.0 or later with the Web Client option enabled (Manage → Server settings → Connections → Supported clients), REST port 8714 open in the firewall, valid SSL certificate.

• To create the build: Node.js version 20 or later and npm version 10 or later.

• A web server that serves static files over HTTPS.

Steps

1. Get the source code from the public GitHub repository (https://github.com/acebit-gmbh/web_client_2), either as a Git clone or as a ZIP download.

2. Run npm install in the project folder.

3. Create the production build with npm run build (on Windows, you can alternatively use the included build.bat). The result is placed in the dist/ folder.

4. Copy the contents of dist/ to your web server's webroot and serve it over HTTPS.

5. Adjust the config.json file next to index.html (all fields are optional):

   • defaultServer – pre-filled address of your Enterprise Server (empty = users enter it themselves)

   • defaultPort – pre-filled REST port (default "8714")

   • defaultAuthMethod – pre-selected authentication method (default "standard")

   • disabledAuthModes – methods to hide in the sign-in dialog

   • bundled – leave set to false for on-premises

6. Test the sign-in: open the web client URL in a browser, enter the server address and port (unless pre-filled), and sign in with a server user.

Cross-origin (CORS) and HTTPS

As of version 19, the Enterprise Server answers cross-origin requests (web client host ≠ server) automatically with the appropriate CORS headers; separate configuration is not required. The former Origin URL field in the server settings was removed with version 19.1.0.

The web client always connects to the API via https://; the REST service does not accept unencrypted HTTP. Recommended: a certificate from a trusted certificate authority (no certificate warnings; with self-signed certificates, the client devices must explicitly trust the certificate). Serve the web client pages themselves over HTTPS as well, and additionally set a stricter Content-Security-Policy as an HTTP header on your web server.

Note: For Windows SSO (Negotiate) in this split deployment, the browser must trust the server for integrated authentication (Chrome/Edge: AuthServerAllowlist policy; Firefox: network.negotiate-auth.trusted-uris) – see the article on authentication methods for details.

Related topics:

• How do I get the Web Client 2.0 and what are the requirements?

• Which authentication methods does the Web Client 2.0 support?

• Configuring the port and HTTPS for the web client

• Creating or renewing the server certificate in version 19 (CNG)