Building (and scaling) enterprise-grade apps
Introducing org-wide app deployment, a simpler, more efficient way for Enterprise Grid customers to distribute your app across workspaces.
Organizations of all sizes and industries look to Slack to get work done, from digital native companies like Airbnb and Uber to Fortune 100 cornerstones like Target and Oracle. For developers, this means as Slack grows, you grow with us — sharing our customers and joining us in changing the way teams collaborate.
Managing apps can get complex, especially for Enterprise Grid customers who use multiple workspaces to connect their organization. Today we’re excited to release org-wide app deployment, making it possible for Slack apps to be installed at the org level and swiftly added to multiple workspaces at once.
Easing the administrative overhead for your app goes a long way in helping you gain adoption with enterprise customers. Read on to learn more, and be sure to register for our upcoming webinar on building secure, scalable apps for Enterprise Grid.
Drive adoption at scale
With org-wide app deployment, admins no longer need to install an app multiple times across workspaces — all of that work gets centralized in a handy dashboard.
On average, Enterprise Grid customers manage 52 workspaces with some juggling upwards of 8,000 workspaces in a single organization. By streamlining the installation process into one simple flow, you eliminate hours of administrative work getting your app set up and increase the odds of your app getting deployed to more workspaces.
Be part of the Slack experience from day one
When installing an app at the org level, Enterprise Grid customers will also have the opportunity to set apps as default so they are automatically installed on future workspaces. This creates a persistent growth engine for your app, ensuring every new user joining each new workspace can start engaging with your app without any friction.
setting up a group of default apps for their organization.
Simplify token management
As a developer, authentication and token management can get messy, especially when handling users across multiple workspaces. With org-wide app deployment, your app is issued a single token at the org level, representing your app’s access to all workspaces and users within the Enterprise Grid organization.
need one bot token per org, and if applicable, one user token for each user in the org.
This also means users will only need to authenticate with your app once at the org level, creating a smoother, consistent experience as they engage with your app across workspaces.
Tips for building enterprise-ready apps
Supporting org-wide app deployment isn’t the only thing needed to ensure your app is enterprise-ready. As you chart your plan for supporting org-wide app deployment, pause and take a moment to evaluate your broader app architecture. Ask yourself questions like:
- Does my app use granular permissions as a less permissive, more secure app foundation?
- Does my app recognize when it’s used in a workspace in an Enterprise Grid organization?
- Does my app know how to handle global IDs (mapped to an Enterprise Grid organization) versus local IDs (mapped to a workspace)?
- Does my app work in channels shared between organizations in Slack Connect?
Getting started
You can start building an org-deployable app today. Visit Slack API for documentation, and be sure to try our first-party app framework, Bolt, which helps you jumpstart the process of building an enterprise-ready app in JavaScript, Java, and Python.
Looking for more guidance? Join our upcoming webinar on building secure, scalable apps for Enterprise Grid. We can’t wait to see what you build!
Need help? Shoot us an email at feedback@slack.com with any questions.
