Publish an App

Publishing an app in Lowcoder transitions it from a Editing State to a live (published) state. This allows users to access and interact with the app based on the sharing and publishing settings defined by the App Creator.

Publishing States

1. Editing State:

   • Apps in this state can only be accessed via the /preview endpoint by allowing users and user groups.

   • Changes made to the app are reflected in real-time during editing but are not visible to end-users until published.

2. Published State:

   • The app's most recent version at the time of publishing becomes the official published version.

   • The published version remains unchanged until a new publish action is performed, even if further edits are made to the app in the meantime.

   • Published apps are accessible via the /view endpoint.

Publishing Scope

An app can be published with different scopes, determining who can access the app:

1. Selected User Groups or Users:

   • The app can be published (shared) to specific user groups or individual users within a workspace.
   • Only those with explicit access will be able to view the app. This option allows the app to be viewed by allowed users via the /view endpoint.

2. Public to All:

   • The app can be published as "public to all", making it accessible to anyone, including non-logged-in users and users from different workspaces.

   • This option allows the app to be viewed by anyone via the /view endpoint.

Access Control

• If an app is not shared publicly and a user without the appropriate permissions try to access it, an error message will be displayed.

• For anonymous users (not logged in), attempting to access a non-public app will redirect them to the /user/auth endpoint for sign-in or sign-up.

Marketplace Publishing

Apps can also be published to Lowcoder marketplaces:

1. Public to Marketplace:

   • After sharing the app as "public to all", it can be further published to the marketplace.

   • This makes the app available in the marketplace listings, either globally at app.lowcoder.cloud or within individual Lowcoder installations.

Workflow for Publishing an App

1. Development and Preview:

   • Develop the app in the editing state.

   • Use the /preview endpoint to test and view changes during development.

2. Publish the App:

   • Select the appropriate user groups, users, or choose to make the app "public to all". in the "Share" dialogue.

   • When ready, publish the app to create the official live version.

   • The published app is now accessible via the /view endpoint.

3. Marketplace Publication (Optional):

   • If desired, mark the app as "public to All" in the sharing dialogue. Now you can see the second option switch "Public to marketplace"

   • Then, publish the app to the marketplace as you publish other apps too.

   • The app will be listed in the global or local Lowcoder marketplace.

Global Marketplace means, if you published the app for the Marketplace on app.lowcoder.cloud

Adding Title, Description, Category and Icon

In the left App-Settings Menu, you can add Title, Description, Category, and an Icon to your App, so the display is informative.

Adding Application Meta Information help to make the app display informative.