Summary

The ClickHome Desktop interface runs in your users' web browser. The screens are HTML and JavaScript files that ClickHome hosts on Amazon Web Services.

The browser loads those screens, then talks directly to ClickHome Web Services. Web Services runs on your own server, or on a server hosted for you, and holds all the business logic.

Your data travels between your users' computers and that server only. It never passes through the servers that host the screens.

Architecture
How It Works
Summary

ClickHome hosts the screens. The application server runs the API, the database server holds the data. 

  • The Desktop interface is a single page application built with Angular, so it behaves like a desktop program inside the browser.
  • The screens are HTML, CSS and JavaScript (compiled from TypeScript). Nothing is installed on your users' computers.
  • ClickHome hosts these files on Amazon Web Services behind the CloudFront content delivery network, with edge locations in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
  • All business logic sits in the API inside ClickHome Web Services.
  • Users pick up the latest screens when they refresh the page or sign in again. Your IT team does not need to install anything or schedule downtime for screen updates.

The diagram below shows how the parts connect. Click the image to enlarge it.

Diagram of the ClickHome Desktop interface: browsers load the HTML front end from ClickHome's hosting, then exchange data with ClickHome Web Services through your firewall

Where Your Data Lives
Summary

Your data stays in your ClickHome database. Only the screens come from Amazon.

Your ClickHome database and Web Services run on your own server, or on a server hosted for you. The screens download into the browser and run on your users' computers. From there, every request for data goes straight from the user's computer to your ClickHome server and back. The servers that host the screens never see your data.

HTTPS
Summary

The Desktop interface only works over HTTPS.

Browsers flag or block pages that are not secure, so the screens and the API both use HTTPS. ClickHome Web Services must be installed on a web server with a valid SSL certificate.

Support Notes
  • If the Desktop interface will not load or cannot reach the server, check the SSL certificate on the Web Services server first. An expired certificate is the usual cause.
Supported Browsers
Summary

Chromium based browsers.

ClickHome targets browsers built on the Blink layout engine and the V8 JavaScript engine. We test on Google Chrome, which covers every browser built on the same engine:

  • Google Chrome
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Opera
  • Vivaldi
  • Brave

Other modern browsers, such as Firefox and Safari, usually work because they follow the same web standards. We do not test on them.

FAQ
Q: Does our IT team need to install updates to the screens?

A: No. Users get updated screens when they refresh or sign in again. Upgrades to ClickHome on the server are still planned as normal.

Q: Does our data go through the servers that host the screens?

A: No. Those servers only deliver the screens. Your data moves between your users' computers and your ClickHome server.