Build apps with Slack’s developer tools

Building with Slack’s platform allows you to connect your workspace with the tools, data sources and processes that make your organisation run smoothly.

Tip: Sign up for the Slack Developer Program to access beta features, tooling and other resources created just for developers.

What can you build?

Apps can either be internal – you design and build them just for your company to use – or external – you build and distribute something via the Slack Marketplace that other companies can use. Read on for an overview of possible use cases, where to get started and more details on the specifics of building with the Slack platform.

Build for your team

The best apps for your team will depend on the tools and processes that matter to you. To get inspired, you might ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you need to integrate one of your organisation’s internal systems or tools with Slack?
• Do any tools generate alerts or notifications that require the attention of a group of people? Send alerts to a Slack channel to notify the right people all at once.
• Do you switch between programs all day long to find the information that you’re looking for? A custom app that pulls data into your workspace to tie related data together and initiate complex cross-system processes – with the added benefit of using Slack’s built-in search.

Tools and features

You can customise the way that end users interact with your app using our suite of building blocks. Below, you’ll find examples of the tools that we provide to make developing and managing your app as simple as possible, and the features you can build into your app.

Tools

Features

• AI agents and assistants
  AI agents and assistants allow users to interact with a third-party conversational AI without leaving Slack. When you enable an AI agent or assistant for your app, you can define loading states, set conversational prompts and leverage threads to keep conversations organised.
• Slack CLI
  Use the Slack CLI (command line interface) to build the framework for a new app with a TypeScript SDK, then easily deploy your app to Slack’s infrastructure.
• App manifests
  Use an app manifest to quickly set up, develop and manage your app.
• App deployment and data storage
  Deploy your app and store its data on Slack’s infrastructure to keep all of the components in one place and automatically comply with our security and compliance standards.
• Developer sandboxes
  Sandboxes are Enterprise Grid environments that you can use to build against all of Slack’s features safely and securely at no cost. To provision a developer sandbox, you’ll need to join the Slack Developer Program.

• Custom functions
  Functions are preset blocks of code that take certain actions. Apps can include functions (also called steps) that members of your workspace or Enterprise Grid organisation can add to workflows that they create with Workflow Builder. Keep in mind that workflows with custom steps are considered premium workflows.
• Workflows
  Apps can include pre-built workflows for anyone in your workspace or org to use. 
• Triggers
  Triggers determine how (for example, with the click of a button or automatically based on a schedule) and where (in Slack or in another service) a workflow starts.

Get started

Slack API is home to everything that you need to know about building on the Slack platform, from introductory guides to detailed documentation.

When you're ready to build, you can get started by following the steps below:

1. Open the Slack Marketplace. 
2. From the drop-down menu in the top right-hand corner, select the workspace that you'd like the app to be in, then click Build. 
3. Click Create an app.