SideLoading Guideance

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This scenario shows how one can use Side Loading to install a SharePoint Provider Hosted Application to a site collection. 

SharePoint Administrators can deploy apps to their tenancy basically two different ways. Deploy from the app catalog (“app stapling”) or via sideloading.

What is sideloading? App sideloading, from a SharePoint context, is the ability to install a SharePoint app directly into a site to explicitly bypass the regular governance controls of SharePoint. The main reason for blocking sideloading by default on non-developer sites is the risk that faulty apps pose to their host web/host site collection. Apps have the potential to destroy data and make sites or, given enough permissions, can even make site collections unusable. Therefore, apps should only be sideloaded in dev/test environments and in production only when deploying from the AppCatalog does not meet your needs. It is NOT recommended to sideload SharePoint Hosted-Applications, because of the risk of data loss.

Note:

  • Enabling the app sideloading features requires tenant admin permissions (in a multi-tenant environment) or farm admin permissions (in a single tenant environment).
  • You must have a user context when sideloading the application. App-only permission is not available.
  • Sideloading does not suppress the security check or compensate existing security requirements. It does however enable the programmatic installation of an app
  • You must still register and app principal for SharePoint Provider hosted applications
  • You should deactivate the sideloading feature immediately once the app is in installed. Site Collections administrators can install apps using CSOM which could circumvent your governance practices.

Centrally deployed apps vs side loading comparison

 

App Stapling (Deploy from App Catalog)

Sideloading

Custom actions and app parts are not supported

Custom actions and app parts are supported

App Install, Uninstall and upgrade event receivers cannot be handled

App Install, Uninstall and upgrade event receivers do fire and can be handled

Site Collection Administrators cannot uninstall the application

Site Collection Administrators can uninstall the application

Applied to new and existing site collections

Custom code must be used to install the application

There is metadata about the app and updates are applied

Tenant Administrators must enable the sideloading feature prior to install the application and should be disabled after the application is installed

 

There is no metadata about the app and updates have to be managed manually

How to use against Office 365 Multi-tenant

Since this solution is based on the using a provider hosted application, the following should be taken in account:

  • The user must be a tenant administrator in order to enable the SideLoading Feature
  • The Provider hosted application has already been registered by the tenant administrator
  • The Provider hosted application has been deployed to your hosting platform

 

Guid _sideloadingFeature = new Guid("AE3A1339-61F5-4f8f-81A7-ABD2DA956A7D");

string _url = GetUserInput("Please Supply the SharePoint Online Site Collection URL: ");

/* Prompt for Credentials */

Console.WriteLine("Enter Credentials for {0}", _url);

string _userName = GetUserInput("SharePoint Username: ");

SecureString _pwd = GetPassword();

ClientContext _ctx = new ClientContext(_url);

_ctx.ApplicationName = "AMS SIDELOADING SAMPLE";

_ctx.AuthenticationMode = ClientAuthenticationMode.Default;

//For SharePoint Online

_ctx.Credentials = new SharePointOnlineCredentials(_userName, _pwd);

string _path = GetUserInput("Please supply path to your app package:");

Site _site = _ctx.Site;

Web _web = _ctx.Web;

try

{

     _ctx.Load(_web);

     _ctx.ExecuteQuery();

//Make sure we have side loading enabled. You must be a tenant admin to activate or you will get an exception! The ProcessFeature is an extension method,

//see Office365 Development Patterns and Practices (https://github.com/OfficeDev/PnP) OfficeDevPnp.Core sample

      _site.ProcessFeature(_sideloadingFeature, true);

     try

     {

          var _appstream = System.IO.File.OpenRead(_path);

          AppInstance _app = _web.LoadAndInstallApp(_appstream);

          _ctx.Load(_app);

          _ctx.ExecuteQuery();

      }

      catch{

           throw;

      }

      //we should ensure that the side loading feature is disable when we are done or if an exception occurs

      _site.ProcessFeature(_sideloadingFeature, false);

}

catch (Exception _ex)

{

     Console.ForegroundColor = ConsoleColor.Red;

     Console.WriteLine(string.Format("Exception!"), _ex.ToString());

     Console.WriteLine("Press any key to continue.");

     Console.Read();

}

References

SharePoint 2013 and SharePoint Online solution pack for branding and site provisioning 

Code Sample in the blog  See the Core.SideLoading sample