# Get started with the Developer Program

> Status: Beta

> Join the Developer Program to build an integration for distribution in the Rippling App Shop.

The Developer Program lets you build applications, plugins, and agents on Rippling and distribute it to thousands of Rippling customers in the App Shop. You bundle platform primitives into a package, then publish a listing customers can install.

> **Rippling:**
> Access to the **Developer Program** is gated behind a closed beta.

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## Who this is for

Whether you are building solutions for thousands of Rippling customers or expanding your reach as a partner, Rippling’s Developer Program provides a direct path from local development to listing in the Rippling App Shop.

| If you are | Start here |
| --- | --- |
| An external developer | [Apply to the Developer Program](https://developer.rippling.com/documentation/rippling-platform/developer-program/apply) |
| An existing Rippling customer distributing a listing to other customers | [Apply to the Developer Program](https://developer.rippling.com/documentation/rippling-platform/developer-program/apply) |
| Building a custom solution only for your own company | [Rippling custom solutions](https://developer.rippling.com/documentation/rippling-platform/custom-solutions/gettingstarted) |

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## What you can build

You can build almost any combination of Rippling’s platform primitives and deploy them as a package. This ranges from pipelines that sync external data, to full applications built using custom objects, functions, custom apps, and automations.

Examples of packages built in Rippling:

-   **Compensation Benchmarking**: Sync real-time market rate data directly into workforce profiles.
-   **Employee Recognition**: Create custom rewards workflows and peer-to-peer appreciation tools.
-   **Geo-Fenced Time Tracking**: Build location-verified clock-in mechanisms for mobile and field teams.

A package is a versioned bundle of those primitives. See [When to use Rippling primitives](https://developer.rippling.com/documentation/rippling-platform/custom-solutions/rippling-primitives) for guidance on each one.

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## What you get after approval

Once approved for the Developer Program, you’ll receive access to:

-   **Developer account** - A dedicated Rippling account to manage, configure, and publish your listings.
-   **Developer sandboxes** - Isolated test environments populated with mock company data to safely build, deploy, and verify package installations.
-   **Developer tools** - Tools for almost every platform action, including the Rippling CLI.
-   **Rippling packages and primitives** - Modular building blocks (such as functions, custom objects, workflows, and APIs) that can be bundled into versioned, publishable packages.
-   **App Shop distribution** - The ability to submit packages for review, feature in the "New Apps" section of the App Shop for 6 weeks, and reach the entire Rippling customer base.

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## Get access

Before building, apply and be approved for the Developer Program.

-   **External developers**: Go to the [sign-up link](https://app.rippling.com/developer/sign-up), describe what you’re building, and agree to the [Developer Terms of Use](https://app.rippling.com/legal/developer).
-   **Existing Rippling customers**: Log into your Rippling account, go to the **Developer** app, and click **Apply**.
-   **CLI submission**: Submit via the CLI using `rippling access apply`.

See [Apply to the Developer Program](https://developer.rippling.com/documentation/rippling-platform/developer-program/apply) for the full application and registration flow.

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## How a package is built

### Developer account

The Developer account is a Rippling account that grants access to the Developer Platform. This account owns your packages, versions, and App Shop listings, and it serves as your publishing profile on Rippling.

See [Developer Program](https://developer.rippling.com/documentation/rippling-platform/rippling-cli/developer-program) for the CLI commands that manage this account.

### Developer sandboxes

A developer sandbox is an isolated Rippling company with mock company data. When building for the Developer Program, you will need two separate sandboxes:

| Sandbox type | Package link mode | Purpose | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Editor sandbox | `EDIT` | Deploy local metadata and functions, add those components to a package version, and publish the version. | A package can only be linked to **one** editor sandbox at a time. |
| Installer sandbox | `INSTALL` | Install published package releases and verify the customer experience. | A published version can be installed across **multiple** installer sandboxes. |

See [Overview of developer sandboxes](https://developer.rippling.com/documentation/rippling-platform/developer-program/sandboxes) for how to create and link each one.

### Packages & primitives

> **Rippling:**
> The Packages app is visible only if you are approved for the Developer Program. Packages are not needed if you are an existing Rippling customer building a custom solution strictly for use by your own company.

A **primitive** is a building block of an integration, such as a custom object or function. A **package** is a versioned bundle of those primitives. You create the package in your Developer account, build the primitives in the editor sandbox, then publish a version that can be installed in the installer sandbox.

Packages can either be **managed** or **unmanaged**:

-   A **managed package** is owned by the developer after install. If you publish newer versions, a customer’s install is upgraded or uninstalled directly through the integration.
-   An **unmanaged package** copies the components into the installed company. That company owns these primitives and can manage them.

Create packages in your Developer account or with the CLI. See [Packages](https://developer.rippling.com/documentation/rippling-platform/rippling-cli/packages) for specific CLI commands.

You build a package in four stages:

1.  Build locally with the Rippling CLI.
2.  Deploy to the editor sandbox.
3.  Publish a package version.
4.  Install that version in an installer sandbox and submit the App Shop listing.

[Build for the Developer Program](https://developer.rippling.com/documentation/rippling-platform/developer-program/build) walks through each stage, and [Get started with the Rippling CLI](https://developer.rippling.com/documentation/rippling-platform/rippling-cli/get-started) lists the commands.

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## See also

-   [Apply to the Developer Program](https://developer.rippling.com/documentation/rippling-platform/developer-program/apply)
-   [Build for the Developer Program](https://developer.rippling.com/documentation/rippling-platform/developer-program/build)
-   [Overview of developer sandboxes](https://developer.rippling.com/documentation/rippling-platform/developer-program/sandboxes)
-   [Get started with the Rippling CLI](https://developer.rippling.com/documentation/rippling-platform/rippling-cli/get-started)
-   [When to use Rippling primitives](https://developer.rippling.com/documentation/rippling-platform/custom-solutions/rippling-primitives)
-   [Rippling custom solutions](https://developer.rippling.com/documentation/rippling-platform/custom-solutions/gettingstarted)

Source: https://developer.rippling.com/documentation/rippling-platform/developer-program/get-started

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://developer.rippling.com/llms.txt). Public pages have a Markdown version at the same URL with .md added.