The app catalog is a separate site collection like team sites in SharePoint for configuring and managing SharePoint Store and its setting. This site collection is basically used for deploying custom apps that are developed for internal organization and makes those custom apps available in SharePoint sites to users to browse as well as add. Users can search the deployed or installed apps from the site by adding an app option under your Organization.
Through this app catalog, we can make custom or third-party apps available and manage requests for apps. Additionally, it is essential to disable store purchases for end users.
To create an app catalog, either global admin or SharePoint Admin users will have access to create an app catalog. Most importantly, there will be only one app catalog per site collection and is created only once.
Now, we will process to create an app catalog in modern SharePoint Online. We need to make sure the user is a global admin or SharePoint Admin.
To commence, we will log in to Microsoft 365, then navigate to Admin then SharePoint Admin.
Login Microsoft 365 >> Admin >> SharePoint Admin as shown,
We will navigate the admin center and click SharePoint.
Then we will be redirected to the SharePoint Admin center. There are several options available in the SharePoint Admin center like creating sites, settings, migrations, policies, and so on.
We need to select more features and then apps. This option is for configuring SharePoint Store Setting, monitor app usage, manage app licenses, etc. Additionally, this option is required for creating an app catalog. We will click open.
After clicking open, a new page will be open with the following options.
There are several options like app catalog, purchase the app, manage licenses, configure store settings, monitor apps, and app permissions.
We will select the app catalog option to create the app catalog site collection as shown above. Eventually, it will give us another screen as shown below,
We can select automatically create a new app catalog site creation. Alternatively, we can create manually or can use the existing app catalog site. In this article, I will proceed with the manual option. The next screen will give an app catalog site collection form to enter details of the app catalog manually as portrayed.
We need to enter the app catalog site collection name, website address, language, time zone, administrator, storage quota as shown above.
After filling in those values, click OK.
Our app catalog is created successfully. We can view the created app catalog into the active site collection list.
Quickly, we will navigate to active sites and check the app catalog via search as illustrated below,
You can now browse the app catalog. We will see the classical app catalog as shown below,
This is how we can create an app catalog in modern SharePoint Online.
Conclusion
In this article, I have explained about app catalog and its purpose. The app catalog is used for various purposes like publishing custom apps, managing permissions, managing third-party apps, and monitor those apps. Furthermore, I have demonstrated step by step how to create an app catalog in the modern SharePoint Online Admin Centre.