---
title: "Building Your App"
slug: "quickstart"
description: "Integrate external systems with Gladly using the App Platform. Learn to create Apps, configure Actions, and enhance customer service workflows effectively."
updated: 2025-12-11T21:35:34Z
published: 2025-12-11T21:35:34Z
canonical: "help.gladly.com/quickstart"
excludeFromExternalSearch: true
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.gladly.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Building Your App

This guide will help you complete your first App, giving you a practical feel for integrating an external system. You'll see how the App Platform uses a configuration-driven approach and the appcfg tool to define and manage your integration with minimal custom code.

## Limitations

- JSON and XML responses are supported.
  - The response must have the `Content-Type: application/json` or `Content-Type: application/graphql` HTTP header.
- Only header-based authentication is supported.
  - This includes Basic Authentication, a Bearer Token, or any static `API Key token.`
  - Request signing is supported.
- The following OAuth types are supported:
  - Authorization Code
  - Client Credentials
  - Password Grant

Please inform your CSM if these requirements are too constraining.

## Before you start

To develop App Platform apps you will need the latest appcfg tool. Head to [Install appcfg](https://help.gladly.com/developer-tutorials/docs/install-appcfg) for up-to-date instructions.

## A Simple Example

Here’s a simple example of a minimal App that exposes a custom “Cancel Order” Action in Gladly Sidekick.

### Initialize the project

ONE TIME ONLY. Create a dedicated directory to store your Gladly projects:

```bash
mkdir -p ~/gladly/projects
cd ~/gladly/projects
```

### **Create an App**

Use `appcfg` to initialize the project by following the instructions in [Develop an App](https://help.gladly.com/developer-tutorials/docs/generate-project-code)

> [!NOTE]
> Tip
> 
> `appcfg` has expansive range of commands to help you with development. Explore the documentation by running `appcfg —-help`

Let’s inspect the files. A minimal App is simply a **folder** with a `manifest.json` file in it.

```json
// ./your_app/manifest.json
{
  author: "yourcompany.com",
  appName: "Your App",
  version: "1.0.0",
  description: "Example cancel order app"
}
```

### **Create an Action**

To expose a “Cancel Order” Action, the App must be configured to connect to your existing APIs. To accomplish this, add a sub-folder to the `actions/` folder within your App with three files inside:

1. `[action_name]/config.json`
2. `[action_name]/request_url.gtpl`
3. `actions_schema.graphql`

```graphql
# ./your_app/actions/actions_schema.graphql
type Response {
    """
    Whether or not the action succeeded
    """
    success: Boolean!
}

type Mutation {
    """
    Cancel an order using the order id
    """
    cancelOrder(orderId: String!): Response @action(name: "cancel_order")
}
```

```json
// ./your_app/actions/cancel_order/config.json
{
    "httpMethod": "POST"
}
```

```go
{{/* ./your_app/actions/cancel_order/request_url.gtpl */}}
https://yourcompany.com/api/cancel_order?id={{.inputs.orderId | urlquery}}
```

> [!NOTE]
> Tip
> 
> You could have used `appcfg add action cancel` to generate the action code!

### Installation & Administration

Install your app with the appcfg tool.

- The `appcfg apps` subcommand is used for managing Apps within Gladly.
- Use `appcfg apps install` to install your App in your Gladly environment, and `appcfg apps config create` to create a configuration including credentials necessary to interact with an external system.
- See your installed Apps with `appcfg apps list`, or get more information with `appcfg apps info`

### **Configure Sidekick**

> [!WARNING]
> Contact
> 
> To be able to test the App in your Gladly environment contact Gladly Support.

Once your App is installed in Gladly, it will expose a new Action you may use in Gladly Sidekick.

### 

## 

## 

The **appcfg tool** is a command line tool designed for building, testing, and managing App Platform apps. More information and releases are available on GitHub: https://github.com/gladly/app-platform-appcfg-cli

## Related

- [Install appcfg](/install-appcfg.md)