vSphere Automation

API client applications communicate with services on the

Platform Services Controller

and

vCenter Server

.

vSphere Automation

API client applications use the Lookup Service to retrieve the vCenter Single Sign-On endpoint, the

vSphere Automation

Endpoint, and the endpoints of services that are exposed through the vSphere API. To access

vSphere Automation

services such as Content Library and Tagging, client applications issue requests to the

vSphere Automation

Endpoint. By using the vCenter Single Sign-On service, client applications can either establish an authenticated

vSphere Automation

session, or authenticate individual requests to the

vSphere Automation

Endpoint.

Client applications can access services that are exposed through the vSphere API by using the vSphere Management SDK.

Depending on the vSphere deployment model, client applications can communicate with

vSphere Automation

services on a single

vCenter Server

instance or multiple

vCenter Server

instances. For more information about the vSphere deployment models, see Components of the vSphere Automation Virtualization Layer

To start developing a

vSphere Automation

API client application, you must download the software and set up a development environment. You can find instructions for setting up a development environment in the README for each

vSphere Automation

SDK.

The

vSphere Automation

SDKs provide sample applications that you can extend to implement client applications that serve your needs. The code examples in the

vSphere Automation

SDKs documentation are based on these sample applications.