Could someone help me to understand the difference between WebSphere Commerce and WebSphere Portal.
WebSphere Portal and WebSphere Commerce are two different products that are now owned by HCL ( earlier they’re with IBM )
WebSphere Commerce is a Business Application Service. Whereas, WebSphere Portal is an Interaction Service.
The Interaction Service provides core portal services (WebSphere Portal) that aggregate applications and content and deliver them as role-based applications. The architecture is explained in the Logical Architecture Model section of this document.
WebSphere Portal provides the ability to aggregate and to present contents delivered from services. WebSphere Commerce could be one of those services which WebSphere Portal can leverage. In addition, WebSphere Commerce provides integration code and support for WebSphere Portal Server. This integration allows you to aggregate WebSphere Commerce services and other content in a portal interaction environment.
Excerpts from Wiki states :
WebSphere Commerce, now known as HCL Commerce is a software platform framework for e-commerce, including marketing, sales, customer and order processing functionality in a tailorable, integrated package. It is a single, unified platform which offers the ability to do business directly with consumers (B2C), with businesses (B2B), indirectly through channel partners (indirect business models), or all of these simultaneously. WebSphere Commerce is a customizable, scalable and high availability solution built on the Java - Java EE platform using open standards, such as XML, and Web services.
WebSphere Portal is an enterprise software used to build and manage web portals. It provides access to web content and applications, while delivering personalized experiences for users. The WebSphere Portal package is a component of WebSphere application software. It is available in five editions: WebSphere Portal Server, WebSphere Portal Enable, WebSphere Portal Enable for z/OS, WebSphere Portal Extend, and WebSphere Portal Express.