Introduction

ownCloud applications let you extend and build on the power of ownCloud, taking it in ways that work just for your specific use-case(s).

While not overly complex in nature, like any form of software development, it will take some time to become fully knowledgeable on the parts that make up and application, how they fit together, and how to make best use of them.

This section of the documentation’s been designed to make that process as simple and as effective as possible, by both stepping you through the information in a tutorial-fashion, as well as providing you a significant amount of background technical knowledge.

You’ll learn how an application works by building one. It won’t do absolutely everything that you could possibly hope to cover. But it will teach you the ins and outs of building one, providing links to further information, which you can work through later.

Before you start developing an ownCloud application, please check that there isn’t an application in the ownCloud Marketplace, or an official ownCloud app that already does what you need. If there is, we strongly encourage you to contribute to existing applications before investing the time to develop your own. Also, feel free to communicate your idea and plans at our chat system, so other contributors might join in.