7.2

Table Of Contents
Calling vRealize Automation Services from External Applications
In some cases, organizations may want to interact with vRealize Automation programmatically rather than
via the vRealize Automation console.
For such scenarios, the vRealize Automation API provides a standardized, secured RESTful interface for
cloud access and interaction, controlled through business-aware policy for consumers such as users,
infrastructure, devices, and applications.
All blueprints, including the ones created via the XaaS, are automatically exposed through the
vRealize Automation API. For more details, see the vRealize Automation API Reference.
Distributed Execution
All core vRealize Automation workows are executed in a distributed execution environment.
The vRealize Automation runtime environment consists of one or more DEM Worker instances that can
execute any workow installed in the core engine. Additional Worker instances can be added as needed for
scalability, availability and distribution.
Skills can be used to associate DEMs and workows, restricting execution of a given workow to a
particular DEM or set of DEMs with matching skills. Any number and combination of skills can be
associated with a given workow or DEM. For example, workow execution can be restricted to a specic
datacenter, or to environments that support a specic API the workow requires. The vRealize Automation
Designer and the CloudUtil command-line tool provide facilities for mapping skills to DEMs and
workows.
For more information about distributed execution and working with skills, see Life Cycle Extensibility.
Foundations and Concepts
40 VMware, Inc.