Export and Import Overview
App Studio's export/import system produces a single self-contained JSON bundle of an entire app definition — all pages, panes, widgets, layouts, actions, navigation, and permissions. The bundle is portable: import it into any tenant or environment to reproduce the app exactly.
What Export Produces
An App Studio export is a single .json file (or .appstudio file) containing:
- The complete app metadata (appId, name, description, version)
- All AppPage definitions (routes, titles, breadcrumb parents, requiredRoles)
- All Pane configurations (layout grids, breakpoint overrides)
- All Widget placements (widget types, config, token expressions, visibility rules)
- All Action definitions (navigate targets, workflow references, modal IDs)
- App variable declarations
- Navigation config (sidebar items, groups, menu structure)
- Permission config (allowedRoles for the app, page-level requiredRoles)
What Is NOT Exported
| Not included | Why |
|---|---|
| Tenant data records | Export is a definition bundle, not a data snapshot |
| Runtime variable values | Variables are reset to their defaults on app load |
| Credential IDs | Credentials are environment-specific and must be reconfigured in the target environment |
| Workflow definitions | Workflows referenced by actions are separate entities managed by Flow Studio |
| User assignments and sessions | IAM data belongs to Passport, not App Studio |
Primary Use Cases
Build and test in Dev → export → import to Staging → test → import to Production. The same bundle flows through all environments.
Build a reference app once and distribute it to multiple tenants via import. Each tenant gets their own independent copy.
Export before making changes. If the new version has issues, import the previous export to restore the prior state.
Use the Export/Import API in deployment pipelines — commit bundle JSON to git, import via API on deploy.
In This Guide
Exporting an App
How to trigger an export from the designer or API.
Bundle Structure
The JSON schema of the export file.
Importing an App
Import steps, validation, and create-vs-update behavior.
Conflict Resolution
Merge vs. replace when importing into an existing app.
Environment Promotion
Dev → Staging → Production deployment pattern.
App Versioning
Version field, changelog, and rollback.
Export/Import API
Programmatic export and import via REST API.