Install and run multiple versions of Web AppBuilder for ArcGIS (Developer Edition) on the same machine

Summary

It is possible to install and run multiple versions of Web AppBuilder for ArcGIS (Developer Edition) on the same machine. Users may require different versions of Web AppBuilder for ArcGIS to be installed on the same machine when working on projects involving different versions of JavaScript, or due to backward compatibility where newer versions of JavaScript may not work with the newer version of Web AppBuilder for ArcGIS. To learn more about supported versions of the ArcGIS API for JavaScript, refer to the following web help document, Web AppBuilder for ArcGIS: Requirements and browser support.

Procedure

Note:
Perform these instructions on the new instance.

1. Add the port desired in the package.json file in the [install directory\server] in the start segment of the script:

"name": "ArcGISWebAppBuilder", 
  "version": "2.4.0", 
  "private": true, 
  "scripts": { 
    "start": "node server.js", 
    "install-windows-service": "winser -i",

"name": "ArcGISWebAppBuilder", 
  "version": "2.4.0", 
  "private": true, 
  "scripts": { 
    "start": "node server.js -port=3355", 
    "install-windows-service": "winser -i",

2. In the same [install directory]\server folder, edit the server.js file using a text editor.
3. Find and replace all the default port number, 3344, with the port specified in step 1.

4. Update the App Registration section in ArcGIS Online Organization account to allow the new port to be used as a new redirect URL. For more information, refer to the following web help document, Web AppBuilder for ArcGIS: Get started.

5. Open the Windows Command Prompt. Windows Start > Search cmd.
6. Change the directory to the Web AppBuilder for ArcGIS (Developer Edition) server folder.

cd installDIR\server

7. In the new directory (in the Windows Command Prompt), run the new instance the node_x64.exe or node_x86.exe application and adding the new port specified in the previous steps as an additional parameter as shown in the following example.

node_x64.exe server.js [-port=3355]

8. Access Web AppBuilder with the specified port number and the specified redirect URL added in Step 4 using a web browser.