> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://v2.dataos.info/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://v2.dataos.info/references/interfaces/apps/link-an-external-application.md). # Link an external application Register an externally hosted application as a link Resource so consumers can find it in DataOS. Use a `link` Resource when the application is already hosted and running externally. Registering the URL creates a catalog entry that associates the application with the Data Product. Consumers can discover and open it from DataOS. ## Prerequisites * You have a Data Product that the application consumes. * You have `dataos-ctl` configured for the target Tenant. * You have the `data-developer` tag assigned to your user account. Run `dataos-ctl user get` and confirm `roles:id:data-developer` appears in the **TAGS** column. If missing, contact your operator. * You have the URL of the hosted application. ## 1. Prepare the manifest {% code overflow="wrap" expandable="true" collapsedlinecount="10" %} ```yaml version: v1alpha type: link name: title: description: owner: tags: - app - hosted-app spec: link: domain: description: tags: - app - hosted-app owners: - products: - references: - title: Data Product url: title: Open application url: visibility: scope: tenants tenants: - ``` {% endcode %} **Visibility:** `spec.link.visibility` controls which Tenants can see the Link in the catalog. Set `scope` to one of the following: | `scope` | Visible to | Additional field | | --------- | --------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | | `global` | Every Tenant | None. Do not set `tenants` or `pattern`. | | `tenants` | Only the listed Tenant IDs | `tenants`: required, a non-empty list of unique Tenant IDs. | | `pattern` | Every Tenant ID that matches the glob pattern | `pattern`: required, for example `"eng-*"`. | ```yaml visibility: scope: pattern pattern: "eng-*" ``` If `spec.link.visibility` is omitted, the Link is visible only to its own Tenant. ## 2. Apply the manifest ```bash dataos-ctl resource apply -f app-link.yaml ``` ## 3. Open the application Once applied, the application appears in the catalog linked to its Data Product. Consumers can open it from the Data Product page or the Apps section. ## Field reference | Field | Required | Purpose | | ------------------------------ | --------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `version` | Yes | Manifest schema version. Use `v1alpha`. | | `type` | Yes | Resource kind. Use `link`. | | `name` | Yes | Unique Resource name within the Tenant. Lowercase, numbers, hyphens. | | `title` | No | Human-friendly name shown in the UI. | | `description` | No | Short summary of what the application does. | | `owner` | Yes | Your DataOS username. | | `spec.link.url` | Yes | Hosted application URL that consumers open. | | `spec.link.title` | No | Label for the action that opens the application. | | `spec.link.domain` | Yes | Business domain the application belongs to. | | `spec.link.description` | No | Description shown on the application's catalog page. | | `spec.link.owners` | Yes | Usernames responsible for the application. | | `spec.link.products` | No | Data Products the application consumes. Creates the catalog relationship. | | `spec.link.references[].title` | No | Label for a related link. | | `spec.link.references[].url` | No | URL for the related link. | | `spec.link.icon` | No | Base64-encoded icon shown in the UI. | | `spec.link.visibility.scope` | No | Which Tenants can see the Link: `global`, `tenants`, or `pattern`. If `spec.link.visibility` is omitted, the Link is visible only to its own Tenant. | | `spec.link.visibility.tenants` | With `scope: tenants` | Non-empty list of unique Tenant IDs that can see the Link. | | `spec.link.visibility.pattern` | With `scope: pattern` | Glob pattern matched against Tenant IDs, for example `"eng-*"`. | ## Validate the link | Check | Expected result | | ------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Link opens | The external application loads at the configured URL. | | Data Product relationship is visible | The catalog entry shows the correct Data Product under **Products**. | ## Troubleshooting **The link opens to an error or blank page:** The hosted application URL is wrong or the app is down. Confirm `spec.link.url` is correct and the application is reachable from a browser. **Data Product relationship is not shown in the catalog:** `spec.link.products` is missing or the product name is incorrect. Add the correct Data Product name and re-apply the manifest. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question. 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