¶ Description
do the Web Service Bridge
¶ Parameters
¶ Parameters Tab
Parameters:
- List of input variables for the Webservice (comma separated)
- Regular expression to validate input variables (comma separated)
- Input variables max size (comma separated)
- Input variables min size (comma separated)
- Pipeline to run in the webservice
- Final Web Service Brige (Php->ETL)
- Optional: temporary directory
- Replacement for missing input variable
- key 'parameters.idDebug (en)' returned an object instead of string.
¶ Description tab
See dedicated page for more information.
¶ Configuration tab
See dedicated page for more information.
¶ About
doWebServiceBridge turns an BRAND pipeline into a small PHP endpoint that accepts URL/form parameters, validates them, and then runs your pipeline with those values. It’s designed for lightweight integrations (internal tools, dashboards, no-code portals) where you want a single URL to trigger a graph with strict input validation and safe defaults.
¶ Prerequisites
- A working pipeline you want to expose (the “target graph”).
- Web server with PHP 7.4+ (Apache or Nginx + FPM) on the same host or with network access to the ETL runtime.
- File system path where the generated PHP file can be deployed.
- A service account or OS user that is allowed to run the ETL engine and read/write the pipeline’s I/O locations.
¶ How it works (high level)
-
You declare the list of expected input variables (e.g.
a,b). -
For each variable, you define:
- a regular expression whitelist,
- a min/max size (byte length),
- a fallback behavior when the parameter is missing.
-
You point the box to the pipeline that should run.
-
The box generates a PHP bridge. When called as
/endpoint.php?a=…&b=…, the script:- Parses and validates inputs.
- Applies reset/fallback if something is missing.
- Launches the ETL with the validated values as pipeline parameters.
- Returns the pipeline’s result (or a structured error) to the HTTP client.
¶ Input requirements
-
All input variables must be listed in
idVars. Order matters: validation rules are mapped by position (1-to-1). -
Provide the same number of comma-separated entries in these fields:
idREs(regexes),idMaxSize(maximum size in bytes per variable),idMinSize(minimum size in bytes per variable).
-
If a variable is intentionally optional, set its
idMinSizeto0and decide how to handle absence via Reset policy.
¶ Output
-
A PHP file that acts as an HTTP endpoint.
-
At runtime, the endpoint returns whatever your graph produces. Typical patterns:
- A JSON payload written by the last node.
- A file download (CSV, XLSX, image) streamed back to the client.
- A status object with success/error details.
Note: Structure the end of your pipeline to emit the desired HTTP response (e.g., a JSON writer, a file writer, or a status table converted to JSON).
¶ Quick start
-
Declare inputs
idVars: list your keys (e.g.,a,b).idREs: set strong regexes, one per key (e.g.,^[a-zA-Z0-9]+$,^[0-9]+$).idMaxSize: match your expected maxima (e.g.,200,200).idMinSize: set1,0to make the first required, the second optional.
-
Bind the pipeline
- Choose your target graph in
idGraph. - Ensure the graph reads parameters named exactly
aandb.
- Choose your target graph in
-
Choose reset policy
idReset: pick how to substitute absent optional parameters (e.g.,default value).
-
Generate and deploy
- Set
idPhpFileto a build location, run the node, then deploy the generated PHP file into your web server’s document root (or a protected route that proxies to it). - Confirm the web user can execute the ETL runtime.
- Set
-
Call it
GET /your-endpoint.php?a=ABC123&b=42- Validate you receive the graph’s output and not a validation error.
¶ Security & hardening
- Whitelist, don’t blacklist. Keep regexes strict and specific.
- Keep sizes small. Tight
idMaxSizevalues reduce risk of payload abuse. - Require HTTPS. Terminate TLS at your web server or load balancer.
- Least privilege. The PHP-FPM/Apache user should run the ETL with minimal filesystem permissions.
- Rate-limit. Use web-server throttling for public endpoints.
- Mask debug. Disable
idDebugoutside dev/test. - Audit logs. Log requests and ETL outcomes for traceability.
¶ Troubleshooting
-
“Validation failed” immediately
The provided value likely violatesidREsor size bounds. Recheck commas: each position maps to its variable. -
“Missing value” even though it’s optional
Set the correspondingidMinSizeto0and choose an appropriateidResetpolicy. -
Generated PHP returns 500
- Verify file permissions and that the PHP user can execute the ETL binary.
- Check PHP error logs and the ETL runtime logs.
- Temporarily enable
idDebugto surface details (switch it off afterwards).
-
Endpoint runs but returns nothing
Ensure your graph actually writes a response (e.g., JSON) and that the PHP wrapper echoes it back. -
Regex doesn’t seem applied
Remember each regex is separated by commas; escape literal commas or split your rule differently.
¶ Common use cases
- Trigger a scoring/evaluation pipeline from a web form.
- Serve small, on-demand extracts via HTTP.
- Power internal dashboards that need fresh, parameterized metrics.
- Validate and normalize inputs before they hit storage.
