Packaging and Deploying Solutions Built on the ThingWorx Platform

Best Practices for Developing Solutions > Packaging and Deploying Solutions Built on the ThingWorx Platform

ThingWorx Platform is a complete end-to-end technology platform. You can use it to develop, deploy, and extend IoT solutions.

IoT solutions can be deployed in two ways:

• Path A: Using Solution Central—A solution can be packaged and published as a solution to Solution Central. Once a deployment request is created for this solution, it can be deploy it to the required ThingWorx instances. See the Solution Central Help Center for details.

PTC recommends deploying your solution as a solution from Solution Central. This portal offers speed, repeatability, and automation to your IoT solution development process. It helps you save on the time spent on deploying and testing solutions.

• Path B: As an extension—A solution can be packaged as an extension in a ZIP file. An extension is a collection of entities, resources, and widgets. users can import extensions into the ThingWorx Platform to work with the IoT solution.

With extensions it is easier to manage the collection of ThingWorx artifacts. If you are building solutions that will be distributed to your customers, it is recommended that you deploy the solutions as extensions.

When you create extensions, define your design requirements well in advance. For example, in the initial stages of development, you need to decide whether you want to use a Thing Shape or Thing Template for your modeling requirements, what organizations and user groups you need, what permissions to give users, and so on.

A solution can also be packaged as a collection of entities that can be exported as an XML or binary file if the solution is an in-house lightweight solution.