ABAP RAP vs. CAP: Which Framework Should You Choose?
When extending SAP S/4HANA following SAP’s Clean Core strategy, enterprise architects face a choice: ABAP RESTful Application Programming Model (RAP) or Cloud Application Programming Model (CAP).
ABAP RAP (ABAP RESTful Application Programming Model)
RAP is native to ABAP on HANA and SAP S/4HANA environments. It leverages Core Data Services (CDS), Behavior Definitions (BDEF), and ABAP Handler classes.
managed implementation in class zbp_i_travel_m unique;
define behavior for ZI_TRAVEL_M alias Travel
persistent table ztravel_m
lock master
authorization master ( instance )
etag master LastChangedAt
{
create;
update;
delete;
field ( readonly ) TravelID;
field ( mandatory ) CustomerID, BeginDate, EndDate;
action ( features : instance ) acceptTravel result [1] $self;
}
CAP (Cloud Application Programming Model)
CAP is an open-source opinionated framework using Node.js / JavaScript or Java. It is ideal for side-by-side BTP microservices requiring non-SAP database connectors or web developer skillsets.