When creating an application, you will be presented with three different application types, which will have an impact on both how your application is presented to the users and what application functionality is allowed. In majority of the cases, the "Custom App" type is what our partners utilize, but in rare cases, a different application type may be a better approach. There are deeper dives into each application type, but at a high level, the application types and use cases they serve are:
Custom App
The most flexible application type with the broadest set of available options for functionality. Custom Apps can be set up as a backend integration that might make API calls without user intervention, or as an end-user facing application that would show up alongside content in the Box web application. They allow for the most flexibility in both functionality as well as look and feel of the application. One important note is that this application type allows for the creation of a special user flow called a "Web App Integration" which allows users to invoke your application directly from the Box Web Application. Flows like starting a meeting from a piece of content, sending a document for analysis, or opening a document in your web service, can be achieved utilizing the Web App Integration with a user being presented with your application in the context of the files they are working with in Box. More on Web App Integrations can be found in our developer portal.
For more in depth information you can visit the developer documentation on Custom Applications.
Limited Access App
An application that is meant for a limited functionality use case centered around previewing files. It utilizes a streamlined token approach, where a user may not be required to explicitly grant access to the application, but is also limited to only performing two functions: uploading files and created previews for files. The Limited Access App is largely meant for use cases where the file preview engine Box offers is the only required function, categorized as a Box View Application.
For more in depth information you can visit the developer documentation on Limited Access Apps.
Box Custom Skill
This application type is utilized for connecting with a third party machine learning provider to extract context around files that are uploaded to Box. Largely utilized as a push notification application on file upload providing file information, a token to download the file, and a token to add metadata back to the file. The application is limited to that functionality and is largely meant as a streamlined way to process files as they enter a Box user account or enterprise. The main benefit of this application type is that you do not have to worry about token management to access the content as it is provided as part of the payload that we send to your service.
For more in depth information you can visit the developer documentation on Custom Skills.
For any questions, please contact our Partners team at integrate@box.com