Create SharePoint Site Collection App Catalog: What You Need to Know

In the ever-evolving ecosystem of SharePoint Online, customization and flexibility have become non-negotiables for organizations building tailored digital workplaces. One powerful yet often overlooked feature that supports this customization is the Site Collection App Catalog. While the traditional tenant-wide app catalog is more familiar, site collection app catalogs introduce a more granular and decentralized approach to managing SharePoint Framework (SPFx) solutions and custom apps. In this blog, we’ll explore what this feature is, why it matters, who should use it, how to implement it, and what alternatives exist—along with pros, cons, sample code snippets, and real-life use cases.

What is a Site Collection App Catalog?

A Site Collection App Catalog is a scoped version of the traditional tenant-level app catalog. It allows you to deploy and manage SharePoint solutions—such as SPFx web parts, extensions, or SharePoint add-ins—within the boundaries of a single site collection. Introduced by Microsoft to support scenarios where central IT governance might be too restrictive or not necessary for localized development teams, this feature empowers site owners and developers to innovate faster within their isolated environments.

Unlike the global (tenant-wide) app catalog that hosts apps for the entire organization, a site collection app catalog keeps things local—making it ideal for departments or project teams with unique customization needs that do not affect or require central deployment.

Why Do We Need It?

There are several compelling reasons to use a site collection app catalog:

Decentralized Development: It empowers individual departments or site collection owners to manage their apps without waiting on central IT.
Faster Iterations: Developers can test and deploy their SPFx solutions directly to their site collection, shortening the development lifecycle.
Security & Isolation: By containing apps within a site collection, you reduce the risk of broader organizational impact in case of bugs or vulnerabilities.
Tenant Limitations: In some organizations, access to the global app catalog is tightly controlled, which may block productivity.

In essence, the site collection app catalog democratizes app management and opens the door for agile development practices within SharePoint.

Who Uses It and What Applications Rely on It?

Typically, site owners, power users, and developers utilize site collection app catalogs. For example:

Developers deploy SPFx web parts for testing or localized solutions.
Site Admins manage departmental tools without central IT bottlenecks.
Consultants use it during POCs (Proof of Concept) or pilot phases for clients.

Applications that often rely on this feature include:

SPFx custom web parts/extensions.
Add-ins that are tailored for one department or function.
Solutions needing fast deployment/testing before production-wide rollout.

Pros and Cons

✅ Pros:

Scoped control over apps per site collection.
Quick deployment for developers and site owners.
Supports parallel development without waiting for global catalog access.
Safer testing environment, reducing risk to tenant-wide infrastructure.

❌ Cons:

Not centrally managed, leading to potential versioning chaos.
Cannot deploy tenant-wide features (like global navigation extensions).
Requires scripting or admin permissions to enable initially.
Can lead to shadow IT if not governed correctly.

How to Create a Site Collection App Catalog

To create a site collection app catalog, you must first ensure that the App Catalog feature is enabled at the site collection level. Here’s how you can do it using PowerShell with the SharePoint Online Management Shell and PnP PowerShell.

🧰 Prerequisites:

SharePoint Admin role.
Access to the SharePoint Online Management Shell.
Installed PnP.PowerShell module.

🔧 Sample Script Using PowerShell:

# Connect to SharePoint Admin Center
Connect-SPOService -Url https://yourtenant-admin.sharepoint.com

# Enable Site Collection App Catalog
Add-SPOSiteCollectionAppCatalog -Site https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/YourSite

# Verify if the app catalog was added
Get-SPOSiteCollectionAppCatalogsSite -Site https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/YourSite

After enabling it, you’ll see a new Apps for SharePoint library in your site contents, where you can deploy .sppkg files (SPFx package files).

Reference: Microsoft Docs – Add-SPOSiteCollectionAppCatalog

Real-World Use Cases and Implementations

🧪 Development Testing Ground:

Developers working on SPFx solutions can use site collection app catalogs to test features without needing to go through tenant-level governance or change management.

🏢 Departmental Web Parts:

A marketing team may need a custom carousel web part for campaigns. Rather than deploying it tenant-wide, they can use the site collection app catalog to host and manage it independently.

🧷 Client-Specific Implementations:

Agencies or consultants creating client-branded components can leverage site collection app catalogs during development cycles and client demos.

Best Practices

Version Control: Keep a separate repository to manage versions across different site collections.
Governance: Create internal policies on who can create and manage site collection app catalogs.
Naming Conventions: Maintain clear names for apps and versions to avoid confusion.
Backup Your Solutions: Periodically export or document deployed apps for disaster recovery.

Alternatives and Comparisons

Feature	Site Collection App Catalog	Tenant App Catalog
Scope	Per site collection	Tenant-wide
Governance	Decentralized	Centralized
Deployment Approval	Site Owner/Admin	Tenant Admin
Testing Flexibility	High	Moderate
Risk of Impact	Low (localized)	High (global)
Use Cases	Department-specific apps	Organization-wide apps
Ideal For	Dev/POC/Team Sites	Production/Enterprise

The Site Collection App Catalog isn’t meant to replace the global app catalog, but rather to complement it. It’s ideal for modern organizations looking to balance governance with agility. It allows teams to innovate quickly, test frequently, and deploy independently—all without compromising the rest of the tenant. Like any powerful tool, it requires thoughtful governance and planning—but when used properly, it becomes a game-changer for teams developing solutions in SharePoint Online.

Whether you’re a developer wanting more freedom or a site admin managing a dynamic department, this is one SharePoint feature worth mastering.