Manage Apps

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

Demonstrate steps for approving, restricting, or setting policies for apps.
Apply Org and Workspace level app management settings.
Describe automated app approvals using Slack’s API.

Navigate App Management Settings

A green circular gear sits to the left of a yellow circular gear. Two hands try to move the gears from the left and right sides of the image.

It’s time to walk through the different features and settings that manage apps in Slack.

Remember that you can preapprove or restrict apps for your Slack members. Preapproval does not install an app, rather it approves the app so that your members can install it on their own. Conversely, if you restrict an app, your members will need to submit a request to you or your admin team for installing that app.

As you read in the first unit, you can set and manage app-related settings for a workspace by heading to App Management Settings (Click your workspace name | Settings & Administration | Manage apps | App Management Settings). This is where you can change Slack’s default setting where any member can install an app. At the very top of this page, you can turn on a toggle to Require App Approval. This setting makes sure that members can only install preapproved apps.

From this area, you can also decide if your members can request approval for apps, who your app managers will be and where app requests will go in Slack.

Most importantly, you can set workspace permissions here, including the following.

Only allowing apps from the Slack App Directory—With this setting toggle on, you can limit members to installing apps from the Slack App Directory. All apps in the App Directory are reviewed by Slack.
Allowing Multi-Channel Guests to use app slash commands and shortcuts—By toggling this on, you limit Multi-Channel Guests to using only shortcuts and slash commands created by Slack.
Only allowing link previews from installed apps—This setting will limit rich link previews to only display if the app registered to the link domain is installed to your workspace.

Recommended App Management Settings

Each organization has unique requirements when it comes to app governance but there are certain settings that we recommend you consider under App Management Settings.

The settings listed here don’t apply to every organizations’ needs, but they do provide some of the safest policies for app management in Slack.

Enable Require App Approval.
Set Select App Managers to manage apps to Workspace Owners only.
Enable Allow members to request approval for apps.
Enable Require members to provide a comment with each request.
Select a specific channel for Select where to send all notifications to.
Enable Only allow apps from the Slack App Directory.
Enable Multi-Channel Guests can only use default slash commands and shortcuts.

Three people helping each other build a brick wall that spells a capital letter A.

Set Organization Policies

You just learned how to adjust settings that affect how apps are installed to a Slack workspace. On an Enterprise Grid plan, you can make similar changes at the Organization or account level.

Apps like Google Calendar, Zoom, Salesforce, or Workday are often deployed across an organization, so as an App Manager you might want to set policies for these types of apps across your entire Slack organization.

Navigate to Organization settings and then to Organization Policies.

From the Organization Policies area, you see three settings. These settings are similar to ones we saw previously for workspaces. The main difference is that here you’re setting a policy across your entire Slack org.

App management—The first setting requires app approval for installing any apps that have not been preapproved. This is similar to the setting we saw in the previous section, but this setting supersedes anything that’s been set at the workspace level.
App Directory Installations—This setting is similar to the one we saw earlier for workspaces, but this sets the policy for your entire org. Your members can only install apps from the Slack App Directory if this policy is turned on.
Guest App Use Restrictions—By activating this policy you will limit multi-channel guests across your org to only using slash commands and shortcuts that were created by Slack.

Manage Apps on Business+ and Enterprise Grid

The app management process for a single workspace and the permissions to download from the Slack App Directory and manage user app installation settings are the same for Business+ and Enterprise Grid. Additionally, SCIM apps are available on both Business+ and Enterprise Grid.

As you read, on Enterprise Grid, app approvals are automatically enforced for all workspaces if an app management policy has been set at the organization level. Some applications and APIs such as eDiscovery, DLP, and Audit Logs are typically used for an entire organization and available as part of the Enterprise Grid plan.

APIs for app management are only available on Enterprise Grid. The APIs enable you to build apps that can approve or restrict other apps across your org, replacing the UI process by setting up appropriate scopes in Slack to listen for app install requests. You can then manage requests either manually or automatically.

Automate App Approvals

You can use Slack’s admin APIs on the Enterprise Grid plan to automate app approvals. Through the use of admin APIs you can create an admin app that automatically approves or restricts other app installs across an entire Enterprise Grid org. The approval app can implement any specific logic that the admin would like—for example, safelisting the Google Drive app on any workspace. In this way, app approval can be automated across all workspaces in an org.

Two scopes are used to enable an app to manage app install approvals.

The admin.apps:read scope allows the app to list app install requests, and to subscribe to the app_requested event.
The admin.apps:write scope allows the app to approve or restrict requests for an app install.

Apps and Bots

A bot is an optional component of an app. A bot is the way in which an app can interact with Slack users. By using a Slack App with a bot, you're giving users a face, a name, and a personality to encourage users to talk with the app. A bot can send DMs, it can be mentioned by users, it can post messages or upload files, and it can be invited to channels—or kicked out.

Some apps automatically create bot users in Slack. Bots can access the same information as workspace members, and may be able to take the same actions that members can. Some typical bot actions include:

Monitoring and helping process channel activity
Posting automated messages in channel
Making channel messages interactive with buttons

Want to Learn More?

If you’re ready to take your Slack app management skills to the next level, check out the Manage apps securely and efficiently badge on the Slack Certified site. Once you’re certified, you can show off your credentials to the broader community of professionals building on Slack.