Application Repository for self-hosted, air-gapped customers
Summarize
Summary of Application Repository for self-hosted, air-gapped customers
This feature enables self-hosted and air-gapped ServiceNow® customers—who do not have network access to the public ServiceNow® Store—to use their own internal application repository. Unlike cloud-hosted customers who access the Store directly, these customers must use alternative methods to install and manage applications within their private networks.
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“Air-gapped” refers to environments without any external network connections, requiring non-networked approaches for moving data and installing applications. The ServiceNow® Application Repository is a scoped application installed on a customer instance, allowing access to the latest application development features without external network communication.
Recommended Installation
It is best practice to install the Application Repository on a dedicated instance solely for this purpose. This approach reduces load on other instances and improves performance when installing applications. Once installed, other networked client instances within the private environment can publish and install application artifacts using this repository instance.
Acquiring and Setting Up the Application
- Self-hosted air-gapped customers should contact their ServiceNow account representative to initiate the installation process.
- The account representative coordinates with ServiceNow Support and the customer team to facilitate setup.
- Instances authenticate with the repository through a one-time “pairing” process that securely stores instance credentials on the server side.
- After pairing, instances can fully interact with the internal repository and leverage application development capabilities as if connected to the public Store.
This setup enables self-hosted customers to efficiently manage application deployments within isolated network environments, ensuring access to ServiceNow’s application ecosystem without external connectivity.
This application feature enables self-hosted customers to use their own internal application repository just as cloud customers do. These customers don’t install the Application Repository via the ServiceNow® Store; they use an alternative method.
Overview of Application Repository for self-hosted
Customers whose instances are hosted on the ServiceNow® cloud have access to an application repository by default via the public ServiceNow® Store. However, self-hosted and air-gapped customers don’t have such access, and thus can’t take advantage of advanced application development features.
The term "air-gapped" refers to the condition when a computer or network has no network interfaces, either wired or wireless, connected to any outside networks. When you want to move data from one source to another, you must use an alternative method. To move data between sources that aren’t on a network, you must use an alternative such as the one described in this topic.
The ServiceNow® Application Repository is a scoped application that can be installed on a customer instance, and enables usage of the latest application development features inside their own private network without the need to communicate with external networks.
Recommended installation
It is recommended to install the Application Repository on a dedicated instance used only for that purpose. Installing in this way reduces the load on other instances from other transactions and improves the experience of installing other Store applications. After you have successfully installed the application, other networked client instances can publish and install application artifacts to and from this instance.
Acquiring the application
Before attempting to install the application, ServiceNow self-hosted "air-gapped" customers should reach out to their account representative. They will work with Support and your team to set up the installation process. To learn more, see the Knowledge Base article, How On-Prem customers can request a Store App.
How the setup process works
Instances are authenticated with the repository via a “pairing” process that stores instance credentials on the server-side, and needs to be done only once per instance. After an instance is “paired” with the repository, it can start interacting with the repository via its various application development features.