APPLIES TO:2013 2016 2019 Subscription Edition SharePoint in Microsoft 365
Apps for SharePoint provide a method to deliver specific information or functionality to a SharePoint site. An app for SharePoint is a small, stand-alone app that solves a specific end-user or business need. Site owners can discover and download apps for SharePoint from a public SharePoint Store or from their organization's internal App Catalog and install them on their SharePoint sites. Unlike features and solutions, which farm or site collection administrators have to install, apps for SharePoint are stand-alone applications that owners of sites can add to their SharePoint sites. The apps for SharePoint have a simple lifecycle - they can be installed, upgraded, and uninstalled by site owners.
Microsoft hosts the public SharePoint Store, where developers can publish and sell their custom apps for SharePoint.
Company-developed and approved apps can also be deployed to an organization's internal App Catalog. This controls the visibility of apps within organizations.
If an app contains SharePoint components, those components are stored in a subweb of the site that is automatically created when you install the app. If the app is Provider-hosted the app components are stored in those locations.
Resources for apps for SharePoint
Use the following articles to plan, configure, and maintain apps in your SharePoint environment.
Learn about different settings and policies to manage Teams apps, including which apps are allowed to install, which apps are pinned to users' app bar, and whether users can upload custom apps.