Use when: user asks to create a Grafana app, initialize a grafana-app-sdk project, set up a Grafana App Platform app, scaffold a new app, or asks about deployment modes (standalone operator, grafana/apps,…
---
name: app-sdk-concepts
license: Apache-2.0
description: Use when starting any grafana-app-sdk work — scaffolding a Grafana app, initializing a Grafana App Platform app, picking a deployment mode (standalone operator / grafana/apps / frontend-only), wiring app-specific config, or onboarding to the SDK. Covers `grafana-app-sdk` CLI install, `project init` per deployment mode, project layout, the schema-centric workflow (CUE kinds → generated code → reconciler/admission logic), and `SpecificConfig` for env-driven app configuration. Use even if the user just says "make a new app", "Grafana app platform", "kinds and watchers", "operator scaffold", or asks about `apps/` inside the Grafana repo, without naming the SDK explicitly.
---
# Grafana App SDK Concepts
The grafana-app-sdk is a CLI + Go library for building schema-centric apps on the Grafana App Platform. Apps define resources via CUE schemas ("kinds"), generate Go + TypeScript code, and implement business logic via admission control and reconcilers.
## Prerequisites
```bash
go install github.com/grafana/grafana-app-sdk/cmd/grafana-app-sdk@latest
grafana-app-sdk version # verify
```
## Common Workflows
### Scaffold a standalone operator app
```bash
# 1. Init the project (use the Go module path)
grafana-app-sdk project init github.com/example/my-app