When working in ArcGIS Desktop, you can connect directly to an ArcGIS Server site. This allows you to work with content and, if you have the appropriate credentials, to publish services and perform various administrative tasks. If the server is federated with an ArcGIS Enterprise portal, you provide credentials to the portal's identity store; if the server is not federated, you provide credentials for the server's security store.
Connection types
You can connect to a server in ArcMap as an administrator, a publisher, or a user to accomplish tasks and work with server content.
The types of connection you can make from ArcGIS Pro to a server depend on whether the server is federated with an ArcGIS Enterprise portal. You can only connect to a federated server from ArcGIS Pro as a user. However, you can connect to a stand-alone server from ArcGIS Pro as a user, as a publisher, or an administrator.
Learn more about connecting to GIS servers from ArcGIS Pro
Administrator connections
When you connect to an ArcGIS Server site as an administrator, you can edit server properties such as the configuration store location, and the list of machines participating in the site, as well as manage the site's data stores. You can also publish, add, delete, start, and stop services.
When you connect, you'll be prompted for a user name and password that has administrative privileges to the ArcGIS Server site. This can be either the primary site administrator account that you defined when you created the ArcGIS Server site (in other words, when you first logged in to ArcGIS Server Manager) or another account that has been added to your security store and granted administrative privileges.
Publisher connections
When you connect to an ArcGIS Server site as a publisher, you can publish GIS resources, such as map documents, databases, and service definitions, to your server. You can also configure and publish draft services that reside locally on disk or in the Drafts folder of your connection to the server. Additionally, you can add, delete, start, and stop services. You cannot edit site properties.
When you connect, you'll need to enter a user name and password for a user that has been granted at least publishing privileges by an administrator.
User connections
When you connect to an ArcGIS Server site as a user, you can view and use the services published to the site. However, you cannot edit server or service properties; publish services; or add, delete, start, stop, or pause services.
Connect from ArcMap
You can connect to an ArcGIS Server site from ArcMap as a user, a publisher, or an administrator.
- Start ArcMap or ArcCatalog.
- If the ArcGIS Server site is federated with an ArcGIS Enterprise portal that uses SAML authentication, you must first sign in to the portal before connecting to the server site. Open the ArcGIS Administrator utility and connect to the portal. Then, in ArcMap, sign in to the portal. Once signed in, you can proceed with the following steps to connect to the federated server.
- In the Catalog tree, expand the GIS Servers node.
- Double-click Add ArcGIS Server.
- Choose the type of connection you want to make to the server, and click Next. Ensure you have the appropriate credentials for the connection.
- To make a user connection, choose Use GIS services.
- To make a publisher connection, choose Publish GIS services.
- To make an administrative connection, choose Administer GIS server.
- For Server URL, type the URL of the ArcGIS Server site you want to connect to, for example, https://gisserver.domain.com:6443/arcgis.
If you need help constructing this URL, see Components of ArcGIS URLs.
- Choose ArcGIS Server from the Server Type drop-down list.
- Uncheck Use ArcGIS Desktop's staging folder and browse to a new location to change the default staging location for service publishing if you're making an administrator or publisher connection.
For more information, see Change the default staging folder in ArcMap.
- Provide your User Name and Password credentials for the ArcGIS Server site. If the ArcGIS Server site you're connecting to is federated with a portal, provide portal credentials. Optionally, you can save your user name and password information so that you don't have to type it each time you connect.
- Click Finish.
Your connection appears in the GIS Servers node in the Catalog tree.
- Optionally rename your connection. Right-click the connection in the Catalog tree, choose Rename, and type a new name.
Connect as a user from ArcGIS Pro
Follow these steps to connect to ArcGIS Server from ArcGIS Pro.
- On the Insert tab, in the Project group, click the Connections drop-down list and click New ArcGIS Server.
The Add ArcGIS Server User Connection dialog box appears.
- For Server URL when connecting as a user, type the services URL of the ArcGIS Server site you want to connect to, for example, https://gisserver.domain.com:6443/arcgis/services.
If you need help constructing this URL, see Components of ArcGIS URLs.
- Provide credentials to connect.
- If you are connecting to a stand-alone ArcGIS Server site, type your User Name and Password on the Add ArcGIS Server Connection dialog box. You can save your user name and password information so you don't have to enter it each time you connect from this project by checking Save Username / Password. When you're finished, click OK.
- If the ArcGIS Server site you're connecting to is federated with a portal, click OK on the Add ArcGIS Server Connection dialog box (without entering credentials). The ArcGIS Sign In dialog box appears where you provide your portal user name and password. Click Sign In when you finish.
Your connection appears under Servers in the Catalog pane.
- If you have connected to a stand-alone ArcGIS Server site using an account with administrative privileges, you will have a publisher connection by default. You can change this to an administrator connection or a user connection at any time:
- In the Catalog window, under Servers, right-click on the server connection. Click Properties.
- Open the Type drop-down menu. Select from the options of User Connection, Publisher Connection, and Administrator Connection.
- Click OK. The connection type will update immediately.
If the server you've connected to is federated with a portal, the Type menu in the Properties dialog box will be unavailable.
- Optionally rename your connection. Right-click the connection in the Catalog pane, choose Rename, type a new name, and press Enter.
You now have a connection that you can use to access the ArcGIS Server site.