Beans configuration within GeoServer
When GeoFence is configured as an external application ("standalone" configuration), you only need the geofence plugin (and not the geofence-server plugin)I
The diagram shows the configuration until GF3.8, since the Spring version in GF3.9 does not support remoting anymore:
When the geofence-server plugin is used, the GeoFence rule engine will be run within GeoServer ("embedded" configuration).
The GeoFenceAccessManager class declared in the geofence plugin is still instantiated, since it implements the GeoServer's authorization interface, but in this configuration the Spring properties are rewired so that the ruleReaderBackend references directly the bean ruleReaderService defined within GeoFence core, which is now run withing the GeoServer JVM:
This is the embedded configuration, with the ruleReaderService (the service containing the actual rule engine) running within GeoServer:
