Deployment Options

Deploy your apps across your business stack

Overview

Apps built with the App Builder can be deployed in multiple ways, making them accessible wherever your team works. Each deployment mode serves a different use case—from quick internal tools to marketplace-published applications.

Deployment Modes

1. Inside Operator

The simplest deployment. Your app runs directly within the Operator interface, accessible by selecting it from the agent/app dropdown in the header. This is ideal for personal tools and quick utilities.

How to access: Select the app from the agent dropdown → it opens in Execution Mode.

2. Full-Screen

Apps can be launched in a dedicated full-screen browser tab using a direct URL. This is useful for apps that need more screen space or that you want to bookmark for quick access.

URL format:

https://erpnet-operator.lovable.app/?app={slug}

For instance-specific execution, the URL can include the instance parameter:

https://erpnet-operator.lovable.app/?app={slug}&instance={base_url}

These URLs are bookmarkable and can be shared with other users.

Installable to the home screen. Full-screen apps can be installed as their own app on the phone or desktop (via the browser's "Install app" / "Add to Home Screen"). Each installation is scoped to one app on one instance — the same app installed against a different instance appears as a separate icon. Every installed app uses a shared Operator-family tile (rounded square with the Operator mark and the app's initials) so the whole set reads as one family on the home screen. No offline support is included.

Installable apps run on a dedicated address (app.operator.net/a/{app}/{instance}) so they are completely separate from the main Operator site (operator.net) — installing Operator will never capture your app icons, and installing an app will never capture Operator. Because the two live on different addresses, opening a full-screen app while signed out will bounce you through the main Operator sign-in page and then automatically return you to the app; you never lose the URL you started from.

Apps installed before the dedicated app address was introduced may keep their old shortcut details even after the browser cache is cleared. Remove that old shortcut and install the app once from its current full-screen page; future launches then use the app name and icon stored by Operator.

3. ERP.net Web Client — Main Menu

Apps can be added as items in the ERP.net Web Client's main navigation menu. This makes them feel like native parts of the ERP system, easily discoverable by all users.

This deployment mode is configured within the ERP.net Web Client's administration settings.

4. ERP.net Web Client — Form Panels

Apps can be embedded as panels within entity forms in the ERP.net Web Client. This is powerful for contextual tools—for example, a customer risk score panel that appears on every customer form, or an inventory widget on product pages.

When embedded as a panel, the app receives context about the current record, allowing it to display relevant data automatically.

5. ERP.net Marketplace

For apps intended for broader distribution, you can publish them to the ERP.net Marketplace. This makes your app discoverable and installable by other ERP.net users and organizations.

Publishing to the Marketplace involves additional review and quality requirements to ensure a consistent experience for all users.

Choosing a Deployment Mode

You can deploy the same app in multiple modes simultaneously. For example, an app might be available both in the Web Client main menu and as a full-screen bookmark.

Open in New Tab

The Deploy tab in the App Builder includes an Open in New Tab feature that generates a URL with both the app slug and instance parameters pre-configured. This provides a quick way to test full-screen deployment or share a direct link with colleagues.