Distribute your apps

When you’re ready to share your Forge app with users, you’ll need to enable sharing for your app in the developer console. This generates a link that you can share with users to install your app on their Atlassian site. Note, in order to install it, they must be the admin of a product on that site. They will also be able to use this link to uninstall your app, and update your app when you release new versions.

Use this method to share your apps for internal use, or to test your apps before listing them on the Atlassian Marketplace. Note, apps that already have a license in the app manifest or have been submitted for listing on Marketplace can't be shared via installation link; in order to share and test these apps, you'll need to copy the app's code, create a new, unlicensed version of the app, and share this version via installation link.

You can stop sharing your app at any time.

Start sharing your app

1. Using the Forge CLI, deploy your app to the production environment.

2. In the developer console, choose the app you want to share.

3. Select Distribution in the left menu, and under 'Distribution controls', select Edit.

4. Select the Sharing option, fill in the app details, and select Save changes.

5. Select which Atlassian products you want your user to install your app on.

   Note that:

   • This affects where users can install your app. For example, if you select both Jira and Confluence, your user can only install it on sites running both Jira and Confluence.
   • You must tell your user to install it on both products; otherwise, it won’t work as expected.
   • The Atlassian Marketplace does not support cross-product apps yet.

6. Copy the installation link, and send it to your user. Remind them to keep the link somewhere safe, as they'll need it to update or uninstall the app in the future.

When your user visits the link, an installation screen appears, similar to the one below. It displays information about your app, including the permissions your app is requesting. From here, your user can choose a site and product to install your app on.

Stop sharing your app

If you want to stop sharing your app with users, you must disable sharing in the developer console.

1. In the developer console, choose the app you want to stop sharing.
2. Select Distribution in the left menu, and under 'Distribution controls', select Edit.
3. Select the Not sharing option, then select Save changes.

Your app is no longer being shared. This has the following effects:

• The installation link is disabled, preventing new users from installing your app.
• Users who have already installed your app can continue to use it. However, they can't update the app when you release new versions.

You can start sharing your app again any time.

Share an app update

You might want to deploy a new version of your app that includes updated scopes. Once you've deployed the new version to the production environment using the Forge CLI, users can do one of the following:

1. Update the app through the Universal Plugin Manager (UPM).

2. Select the installation link you previously sent to them, and under the 'Installations' tab of the installation screen, select Update.

If needed, you can copy the installation link from the developer console and send it to them again.

Listing Forge apps on the Atlassian Marketplace

If you've finished testing your app, and want to provide or sell it to a large customer base, see Listing Forge apps on the Atlassian Marketplace.

Note, once your app has been submitted for listing on Marketplace, or has a license in the app manifest, it can't be shared via installation link. In order to share and test this app, you'll need to copy the app's code, create a new, unlicensed version of the app, and share this version via installation link.