We propose an architecture, Flare, that is a structured and easy way to
develop applications rapidly, in a multitude of languages, which make use of
online storage of data and management of users. The architecture eliminates the
need for server-side programming in most cases, creation and management of
online database storage servers, re-creation of user management schemes and
writing a lot of unnecessary code for accessing different web-based services
using their APIs. A Web API provides a common API for various web-based
services like Blogger [2], Wordpress, MSN Live, Facebook [3] etc. Access
Libraries provided for major programming languages and platforms make it easy
to develop applications using the Flare Web Service. We demonstrate a simple
micro-blogging service developed using these APIs in two modes: a graphical
browser-based mode, and a command-line mode in C++, which provide two different
interfaces to the same account and data.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure