1<meta name="doc-family" content="apps">
2<h1>What Are Chrome Apps?</h1>
3
4<p>
5Chrome Apps deliver an experience as capable as a native app,
6but as safe as a web page.
7Just like web apps,
8Chrome Apps are written in HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS.
9But Chrome Apps look and behave like native apps,
10and they have native-like capabilities
11that are much more powerful than those available to web apps.
12</p>
13
14<div class="video-container">
15  <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="610" height="380" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lBUGTVIJVfM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
16</div>
17
18<p>
19Chrome Apps have access to Chrome APIs and services not available to
20traditional web sites. You can build powerful apps that interact with network
21and hardware devices, media tools, and much more. Here's a short list of
22examples:
23</p>
24
25<ul>
26  <li>Shells (VMWare, Citrix, SSH, RDP or VNC clients)</li>
27  <li>Music/video streaming</li>
28  <li>Photo/video/music editing</li>
29</ul>
30
31<p>
32Watch the Chrome Apps<strong>
33<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8oFAr1YR-0">2012</a>
34and
35<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2tJRXDTMuY">2013</a>
36Google I/O presentations</strong> for an in-depth introduction.
37</p>
38
39<h2 id="look">How they look</h2>
40
41<p>
42When a user opens a Chrome App,
43their focus is specifically on the tasks
44relating to the app.
45Chrome Apps have no traditional chrome:
46the omnibox (address bar), tab strip,
47and other browser interface elements no longer appear.
48Like native apps, they don’t live within the browser.
49When launched, Chrome Apps can open in windows
50that look like this (and you can style
51your windows in all different ways):
52</p>
53
54<img src="{{static}}/images/editor.png"
55     alt="Text editor Chrome App in a standalone window">
56
57<h2 id="behave">How they behave</h2>
58
59<p>
60Chrome App pages always load locally.
61This allows apps to be less dependent on the network.
62Once a user installs an app, they have full control over the app's lifecycle.
63Apps open and close quickly,
64and the system can shut apps down at any time to improve performance.
65Users can fully uninstall apps.
66</p>
67
68<p>
69Without any effort on your part, your apps will launch offline.
70But you will need to put some effort into making sure user data is stored locally while offline
71and then synced back up to your data server once online
72(see <a href="offline_apps">Offline First</a>).
73</p>
74
75<h2 id="develop">How to develop them</h2>
76
77<p>
78Chrome Apps are modified web apps.
79You use the same code, frameworks, and tools of the web platform to write your apps.
80Some browser features have been removed, other web APIs have been disabled
81or changed to improve security and programming practices.
82</p>
83
84<p>
85New features have been added to help you build more native-like apps.
86The app container and programming models control how Chrome Apps look and behave.
87These models aim to provide users with a more native experience.
88Powerful APIs have been added so your apps can have native-like capabilities,
89and a serious security model is enforced to make sure these APIs are not abused.</p>
90
91<p>
92To learn more about how to develop Chrome Apps:
93</p>
94
95<ul>
96  <li>
97    <a href="app_architecture">Understanding the Architecture</a>
98    introduces the app container, programming, and security models.
99  </li>
100  <li>
101    <a href="app_lifecycle">The Fundamentals</a>
102    shows how to use this architecture and how to build
103    for offline, manage data, and embed external content.
104  </li>
105  <li>
106    <a href="app_network">Advanced Technologies</a>
107    shows how to use the powerful network and hardware APIs.
108  </li>
109  <li>
110    <a href="app_deprecated">Disabled Features</a>
111    describes the web features that have been disabled
112    and what to use in their place, where relevant.
113  </li>
114</ul>
115
116<p class="backtotop"><a href="#top">Back to top</a></p>
117