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What is an External Instance?

An External Instance is another Nodinite environment, for example Test or Production, that you register by the address of its Web API. Once registered, administrators can send configuration straight to it with Export, instead of downloading a file and uploading it on the other side.

  • ✅ Promote configuration from Dev to Test to Production without moving files
  • ✅ One registration per environment, reused for every export
  • ✅ Uses the target environment's own Web API and access rules

How an External Instance is used

Most organizations run several Nodinite environments (see EnvironmentName). Import / Export moves configuration, such as Repository Model items and Roles, between them. An export can go two ways: as a JSON file that you upload in the target environment, or directly to an External Instance over the network.

graph LR Source["fa:fa-server Source environment
Export"] -->|"File: download JSON"| File["fa:fa-file JSON file"] File -->|"Upload"| Target["fa:fa-server Target environment
Import module"] Source -->|"External Instance:
target Web API"| Target Target -->|"Import"| Done["fa:fa-check Configuration applied"] style Source fill:#2678BD,color:#fff style File fill:#FFD525,color:#000 style Target fill:#3F827B,color:#fff style Done fill:#93d16d,color:#000

Blue: the source environment. Yellow: the offline file route, for environments that can't reach each other. Teal: the target environment, reached directly when it is registered as an External Instance. Green: the Import applies the result.

What an External Instance requires

  • The target's Web API must be online and reachable from the source environment.
  • The Windows user running the export must be a member of the built-in Administrators Role in both environments.
  • The registration holds a Name, an optional Description, and the URI of the target Web API. See Add or manage External Instance.

Important

The Import / Export feature is disabled in Nodinite 7.0, so External Instances are not used by any export for now. Use the Web API to move data between instances until the feature returns.

Next Steps