Development Approach Development Approach
NetKernel development
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NetKernel Development Approach

NetKernel supports a highly effective and productive development approach that includes three distinct phases: Construct, Compose, and Constrain.

Construct is the phase during which fundamental resources and services are written. These resources can be developed in Java or a scripting language and is described in detail in the Extension Guide. Many core capabilities have already been written and are covered in the API Reference and Services Guide

Compose is the phase during which the fundamental services are orchestrated in a way to build the NetKernel solution. This requires the application of various patterns, the sequencing of service calls with a scripting language, and the establishment of relationships between modules.

Constrain is the final phase when constraints are applied to a working system to manage complexity, add security, transactions, restrict the range of values accepted by the system (e.g. "data validation"), and other tasks.

While the Construct, Compose, and Constrain approach may seem different at first, you will find that all essential development steps are covered. The difference is that development steps are reordered in a new way that fits the strengths of NetKernel and which supports rapid understanding of the required solution. Indeed, the three steps do not specify the order of development. Many NetKernel applications are built by focusing first on the Compose phase while the Construct phase is either deferred or developed in parallel. From a project risk perspective, the Compose phase is most closely associated with the essential business functions of the application. By focusing first on the Compose phase, overall project risk can be reduced because application user feedback can be obtained earlier in the project than with other approaches.

Traditional approaches, such as Object Oriented development are still present. For example, you will use OO when Constructing fundamental resources and services in Java. When Composing, you will use a combination of functional programming (with active URIs) and scripting. Development using Patterns is important and very effective during the composition phase. Finally, techniques such as programming by contract (PBC) can be applied during the Constrain phase of development.

Examples

Examples of this development approach are discussed in depth in the Architects Guide.
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