Deploying your Creator Studio app

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Deploying your Creator Studio app

    This guide explains how to deploy your Creator Studio app from a non-production environment (such as development or QA) to a production instance, where your end users can access the live app. Deployment involves moving the app, along with its published forms and activated playbooks, to a production environment using pipelines configured in ServiceNow’s Pipelines and Deployments tool. Proper versioning and release notes are required to track app changes during deployment.

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    Deployment Process

    • Build and test: Develop your app and thoroughly test all published forms and activated playbooks in a non-production instance.
    • Request deployment: When ready, submit a deployment request to your administrator; apps cannot be deployed directly from Creator Studio by the developer.
    • Admin role: Admins use the Pipelines and Deployments interface to move the app to production and assign user access.
    • Selective deployment: You can choose which published forms and activated playbooks to include or exclude from the deployment, allowing gradual rollout and control over what users see.

    User Access and Post-Deployment

    After deployment, the administrator must assign the appropriate users and groups access to the app, as user access is not handled during deployment. This ensures controlled and secure usage of the deployed app.

    Versioning and Release Notes

    Each app version deployed must include a version number and release notes. This practice supports administrators in tracking app updates and managing app lifecycle effectively.

    Key Takeaways for ServiceNow Customers

    • Always develop and test your Creator Studio app in a non-production instance before deployment.
    • Coordinate with your ServiceNow admin to configure and use Pipelines and Deployments for moving apps to production.
    • Use selective deployment of forms and playbooks to carefully manage the app’s live features.
    • Remember that assigning user access is a separate step performed by your administrator after deployment.
    • Maintain clear versioning and release notes with every deployment to aid app management and support.

    Congrats, you’ve built your app and are ready to share the first version of it with the world. That’s great! Deployment is the next step in the process.

    Deployment is a term that describes the process of an app moving from a non-production instance like development or QA through to production. Production is the instance that your customers see, or your “live” instance. To kick this process off, you should build your app in a non-production instance, and request that an admin deploy it to a production instance when you're ready.

    Deploying an app automatically publishes the app, as well as all of the published forms and activated playbooks that you include, to a production instance.

    Deployment uses pipelines configured in Pipelines and Deployments. If you don't have a pipeline configured, the Creator Studio home page alerts you and suggests you ask an admin to set it up for you.

    The ServiceNow AI Platform uses the Application Repository to move apps between instances, so release notes and a version number are required. Find out more in App versioning and release notes for Creator Studio apps.

    Requesting app deployment to production

    You should test your app and all of its published forms and activated playbooks on a non-production instance. Once it's ready, you can submit the app for deployment to production. For more information, see Request deployment for your app from Creator Studio to production.

    Apps aren't deployed directly from Creator Studio. Instead, your admin uses Pipelines and Deployments. Admins should check out Managing deployments using Pipelines and Deployments.

    Deploying forms and automation with the app

    You may feel some hesitation at this point, perhaps wondering if your app is actually ready. Well, you can take small steps and include only the forms and activated playbooks that you want in your deployment request.

    When you submit an app for deployment, all of the app's published forms and activated playbooks are available to be deployed. When you request deployment though, you can specify:
    • Published forms that you don't want to appear in the catalog after the app is deployed to production.
    • Activated playbooks that you don't want to appear when users view records generated by the app after it's deployed to production.

    If you don't activate a playbook and its app is deployed to production, the automation won't run on the applicable records. However, your App Engine admin can activate the deployed playbook for you.

    Assigning users to a deployed app

    Your app is officially published and ready to be used, congratulations! But, who gets to use it, and do they have access? Your admin gets to take charge here.

    After your admin deploys the app to production, the admin must assign users and groups that can access the app. That is, you can't assign user access in the deployment/publishing process. See I've built my app in Creator Studio, now what? to find out more about where to access published parts of your app.