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About App Installation

When a Wix user installs your app, Wix runs an app install flow, an OAuth authentication process that grants your app the permissions you've configured in the app dashboard. Your distribution method determines how Wix users install your app and which install flow runs.

Standard install flow

The standard install flow is the default when a Wix user adds an app from the Wix ecosystem, such as the Wix App Market, editor, or site dashboard, or clicks a shared install link. Wix handles the full flow and manages authentication.

The flow depends on where the install starts:

Wix App Market: Wix prompts the Wix user to select the intended site and grant permissions.
Site dashboard and editors: The Wix user triggers the install from a specific site, so Wix only prompts them to grant permissions.

When the install completes, Wix redirects the Wix user to an app page based on your app's settings.

External install flow

The external install flow extends the standard install flow. Use it to redirect Wix users to an external location after installation and integrate external app services with Wix sites. The flow also supports custom data tracking throughout the install and provides OAuth credentials for your backend services.

Use the external install flow when:

A site visitor starts the install from a live or external site, such as a published Wix site, and you want to redirect them back after install.
Your app has external backend services that call Wix APIs. Use what Wix sends in the redirect to authenticate your API calls.
You want to track data across the install flow. For example, a campaign landing page where Wix users install the app, get redirected to a thank-you page, and you receive campaign or visitor details in the callback.
Your app has no frontend extensions, so Wix users have nothing to interact with after installing. Use the external install flow to redirect them to somewhere useful such as an onboarding or confirmation page.

Learn more about setting up the external install flow.

Distribution methods

Wix supports several distribution methods for your app.

Wix App Market

The Wix App Market is a public marketplace where Wix users discover and install apps. To distribute your app through the App Market, submit it for review and listing.

Distribute your app by sharing a link directly with Wix users or from an external location, such as a button on a published site. You can generate an install link from your app dashboard or build a custom URL. The type of link determines which install flow runs:

App dashboard link: Triggers the standard install flow.
Custom-built URL: You can configure it to trigger either the standard or external install flow.

Install directly on sites

If you have management access to the sites that should use your app, you can install it directly on sites from your app dashboard without involving Wix users. Use direct install when distributing an enterprise or agency-built app to sites you manage.

Tracking installs

Wix records an app as successfully installed when a Wix user completes the standard install flow. You can view and manage app installations in the app dashboard.

To track Wix users who started but didn't complete the install flow, set up custom events for Google Analytics.