An endpoint is a low-level feature that can only be created and modified by BlueStep engineers.  It allows a Relate Script program to receive an HTTP request and send back an HTTP response.  This opens up almost as many possibilities as having a built in web-server would.  This extreme flexibility makes it hard to explain to those unfamiliar with creating internet software.  This feature is also capable of circumventing many of the built in security systems of the BlueStep platform.  Because of these reasons, only specially trained BlueStep technicians are allowed to work with these powerful and complex elements.

In addition to (nearly) all of the information and resources in normal HTTP request and response messages, an end point has read/write access to all Relate data, access to user data to communicate with other formulas and access to site navigation information.  An end point formula, like other formulas, can make an HTTP request to any server on the internet to get information.  Built-in tools allow both binary and text data to be processed.

Powerful security features can be enabled to:  1. require authentication and restrict access to particular security groups, 2. block or allow ranges of IP addresses, 3. require a secure HTTPS protocol, and 4. restrict certain HTTP 'method' values.  If used appropriately, end points can be as secure or more secure than normal BlueStep pages.  However, there are times when any or all of these security restrictions are not needed, so security may be loosened.  To use these settings correctly, a thorough understanding of internet technologies and their security weaknesses may be needed, depending on the nature of the end point logic and the data it is working with.

Aside from the security settings, an end point has only a name/desciption, a URL mapping which determines which requests will be routed to the end point, and a formula.  At BlueStep we use end points primarily to create complex and dynamic user interface logic in combination with JavaScript, AJAX and JSON technology.  However, we also use end points to communicate with other servers, communicate between different BlueStep organizations, generate graphs, charts and PDF reports and various other things.  The possiblities are infinite.