Developing your application

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Developing your application

    This guide helps ServiceNow customers create custom applications tailored to their organizational needs by choosing the appropriate builder tool based on their skill level and the complexity of the application.

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    Builder Options and Capabilities

    • Creator Studio (No-Code): Ideal for users who want to build simple request-fulfillment applications without writing code, such as forms for requesting office supplies with approval workflows.
    • App Engine Studio (Low-Code): Suitable for building a broader range of applications quickly with minimal coding. It supports collaboration between business and IT, governance, compliance, and scalable cross-enterprise workflows, including mobile-first user experiences.
    • ServiceNow Studio (Pro-Code and Low-Code): Designed for developers seeking a modern, unified environment on the ServiceNow AI Platform. It features streamlined navigation, integrated low-code tools, efficient development tracking, packaging, and accelerates application delivery.
    • Pro-Code Development with IDE and SDK: For developers preferring industry-standard tools and processes, ServiceNow provides a Visual Studio Code-based IDE and SDK that support writing application metadata in source code using ServiceNow Fluent language, managing Git source control, debugging, and team collaboration.

    Builder Library

    ServiceNow offers specialized builders like Decision Builder, UI Builder, and Workspace Builder, each designed for specific development needs or data types, enabling tailored application creation. Customers can select the best builder to accelerate their development process.

    Build a custom application to meet the business needs of your organization. Choose a builder for the type of user experience or workflow that you want to create.

    Which builder should I use to create an app?

    Figure 1. Types of builders
    Different builders available for different skill levels

    Want to build an app easily, without code?

    Creator Studio specializes in helping you craft request-fulfillment applications without writing code. For example, an application to request office supplies by filling out a form, and someone approves or denies your request. For more information, see Exploring Creator Studio.

    Need a more general app but still want low-code options?

    App Engine Studio lets you build a broader range of apps than Creator Studio without being a programming pro. For more information, see Exploring App Engine Studio.

    Are you a developer who wants more control in a centralized user interface?

    Build apps smarter and deliver them faster with the new ServiceNow Studio. ServiceNow Studio empowers platform developers with a modern, unified environment for building on the ServiceNow AI Platform. ServiceNow Studio features streamlined navigation to applications and metadata, integrated low-code tools, efficient tracking and packaging of development work that accelerates development processes and enhances productivity. For more information, see Exploring ServiceNow Studio.

    Are you a developer who wants to use industry-standard development tools and processes?

    The ServiceNow IDE and ServiceNow SDK support developing applications in source code with ServiceNow Fluent, creating JavaScript modules, and using third-party libraries. ServiceNow Fluent is a domain-specific programming language for creating application metadata in code.

    The ServiceNow IDE is an implementation of Visual Studio Code for the Web on the ServiceNow AI Platform. The ServiceNow SDK uses Visual Studio Code Desktop locally. For more information, see Building applications in source code.

    Build no-code applications with Creator Studio

    Create applications without coding
    Build request-fulfill applications in a simple environment, without using code, in Creator Studio.

    Build low-code applications with App Engine

    Build low-code apps quickly, with more creators and less complexity. Safely scale cross-enterprise experiences that users want.

    Empower creators
    Bring creator workflow apps to production quickly for mission-critical tasks. Design with guidance and templates that are all within a holistic low-code dev experience​.
    Scale low-code development
    Empower business and IT to collaborate, manage, and govern low-code app development.​  Set development guardrails, apply standards, and check for compliance, all in one place.
    Accelerate process automation
    Automate processes fast and show value quickly with native integration and low code. Scale your workflows from simple to complex, with consistency across the enterprise.​
    Engage your users
    Captivate users with a modern unified experience that’s easy to understand. Build mobile-first experiences using an intuitive, low-code designer.

    Build applications with the new ServiceNow Studio

    Build apps smarter and deliver them faster with the new ServiceNow Studio. ServiceNow Studio empowers platform developers with a modern, unified environment for building on the ServiceNow AI Platform. ServiceNow Studio features streamlined navigation to applications and metadata, integrated low-code tools, efficient tracking and packaging of development work that accelerates development processes and enhances productivity.

    Build pro-code applications

    Build and deploy apps with fine-grained control. Debug code, manage source control, and publish your apps from a central hub.

    Build your apps faster
    Get all your work done in one place, accelerating the process from coding to deployment.
    Develop applications in source code
    Write code that defines application metadata in an integrated development environment.
    Manage your source
    Commit, branch, and merge to your Git repository with integrated source control.
    Work as a team
    Provide individual developer access to specific application resources for better collaboration.

    Builder library

    Each builder fulfills a specific need or produces a specific type of data, such as Decision Builder, UI Builder, and Workspace Builder. For a complete list of builders, see Builder Library.