AMFPHP with Flex 4 - Do we really need services-config.xml

Question

I am suspicious about the necessity of step been told in ALL the tutorials to setup/configuring the services-config.xml file where it is absolutely unnecessary.

It is because,

• Proof 1: I did it myself
• Proof 2: If you don't trust me, the flex sample project comes with the official download does not use the services-config.xml at all

So its a big BIG VERY BIG question mark why the heck this file is to be used? especially why to ask to use it in the getting started kind of tutorials which potentially leads to misconfiguration (noobs like me)

Am I missing any important thing?

Answer 1

When using Parsley framework, one way of creating the Parsley configuration file is using external XML file. They say that the reason is for security reasons. SWF decompilers are all over the interent, and anybody can decompile your SWF to find valuable information (hard-coded urls, user names, passwords... etc.). Moving these valuable information into the XML file removes this risk.

So I think that the services-config.xml follows the same concept... however, it could be only a Parsley way of handling things and I could be wrong.

Answer 2

So its a big BIG VERY BIG question mark why the heck this file is to be used?

It doesn't need to be used; but I personally find it much easier to use one than the Alternatives. Here is one alternative.