In this chapter, you learned how to automate configuration tasks. Using the REST interface, you can publish data from a remote procedure that checks for updates; extracts transforms, and loads the data on a filesystem or a spatial database; and then sends a request to GeoServer to configure and publish the data.

In the next chapter, we will explore security--a real issue if you deploying your GeoServer to the internet.

We will explore how to create a set of users and link them to security policies. Each user can be profiled to access only a set of data. The most important keywords are users, groups, and roles. Understanding these topics will enable you to fine tune GeoServer's security system.