Delegated development and deployment

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Delegated development and deployment

    Delegated development and deployment in ServiceNow Yokohama release enable designated users without full system admin roles to develop or deploy applications on the ServiceNow AI Platform. This delegation is managed at the application level, allowing application-specific admins or system admins to assign development and deployment permissions to appropriate personnel, such as developers or Change Management staff.

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    Key Features

    • Application-specific delegation: Developers and deployers are assigned permissions per application, ensuring control and security. Permissions do not automatically extend across multiple applications.
    • Deployment task delegation: Deployment tasks such as application publishing, first-time installation, or upgrades can be delegated either through Manage Developers settings or by assigning specific deployment roles at the instance level.
    • Role-based permission assignment: Permissions are assigned either via Manage Developers for specific applications or by assigning deployment user roles at the instance level for local non-production instances.
    • Granular developer permissions: Administrators must understand application files and system tables to assign precise developer permissions, such as scripting capabilities or access to all file types.
    • Application administration with delegation: When Application administration is enabled, only application administrators can delegate developer roles for that application. Delegated developers need both developer permissions and application administrator roles to perform granted functions.
    • System admin control: Assigning delegated development roles maintains system admin oversight without requiring developers or deployers to have full system admin privileges.

    Practical Use and Benefits

    ServiceNow customers can securely delegate development and deployment tasks to designated users without granting broad system admin access, reducing risk while improving agility. This approach allows targeted permission assignments tailored to specific applications and deployment needs, enabling efficient collaboration and management within development, QA, and change management teams.

    For example, a system administrator can assign specific developer and deployment permissions to a user like Abel Tuter on a development instance, controlling what that user can develop or deploy for particular applications.

    Delegated development allows designated users without a system admin role to develop or deploy applications on the ServiceNow AI Platform.

    If you have the application-specific admin role or the system-level admin role, you can delegate application development to designated developers at the application level.

    Delegated deployment tasks

    You can also delegate deployment tasks (application publishing, first-time installation, or update) to developers or non-admin users, such as Change Management personnel. You delegate deployment tasks to specific users at the application level, or through assignment of specific user roles at the instance level.

    Assignment Method Applies to Available options
    Setting deployment permissions in Manage Developers. See Delegate development and deployment permissions to personnel Specific applications Publishing and upgrades of specific applications. Publishing options include the application repository, ServiceNow Store, and update sets.
    Assignment of deployment user roles to specific persons. See Instance-specific deployment user roles. Local non-production instance (for example, Development or QA) First-time installations and upgrades of all applications that contain the same company as the current instance.

    For example, applications for ABC Company and XYZ Company display on the Application Client page. A user with this role can only install XYZ Company applications when logged in to a XYZ Company instance. The user cannot install applications for ABC Company.

    Application-specific permissions

    Developer and deployment permissions are application-specific. For example, a developer who has permission to access all file types for one application does not necessarily have any developer permissions for another application. Administrators must set developer (and optionally deployment) permissions for each application. Administrators must be familiar with application files and the system table structure to set developer permissions. For example, a developer expected to create advanced business rules needs both the All File Types and Allow Scripting developer permissions.
    Important:
    If Application administration is enabled, only an application administrator for the target application can delegate developers for an application. Application administrators do not have system admin privileges. To enable a delegated developer to perform the functions granted in the developer permissions, the delegated developer must also be given the application administrator role.

    Setting each permission grants one or more system-managed delegated development roles, allowing system admins to retain control over the system. System admins no longer have to elevate developers (or users who deploy applications) to the system admin role to enable them to develop or deploy applications.

    Developer and deployment permissions example

    As a system administrator, you want to assign Abel Tuter certain developer and deployment permissions for a specific application in your development instance. For more details on developer and deployment permissions, see Delegate development and deployment permissions to personnel.

    manage developers permissions..