A consumer application is a computer application that consumes (invokes) assets (Web services, XML services or REST services) at run time. Typically, you create consumer applications to specify the consumers that are allowed to consume a particular asset. Then, you include the consumer application in the Consume Asset dialog of the asset.

A consumer application in CentraSite is represented by an Application asset. The Application asset defines the precise consumer identifiers (for example, a list of user names in HTTP headers, a range of IP addresses, and so on). Thus the policy enforcement point can identify or authenticate the consumers that are requesting an asset.

You can use Application assets with any supported policy enforcement point (that is, webMethods Mediator or any supported third-party policy enforcement point).