> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://synthetiq.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Apps and Services

> A quick introduction to services and apps — the two building blocks you'll use in every Synthetiq workspace.

Everything you build in Synthetiq starts with two building blocks: **services** and **apps**.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/synthetiq/RNJQjOGIp-QHg-Gg/images/tutorials/apps-and-services/data-flow-light.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=RNJQjOGIp-QHg-Gg&q=85&s=122220a03d85500d27c44077535a5417" className="block dark:hidden" alt="Data flows from an external system like Snowflake, through a service that exposes tools, into an app like Customer Insights" width="1760" height="540" data-path="images/tutorials/apps-and-services/data-flow-light.png" />

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/synthetiq/RNJQjOGIp-QHg-Gg/images/tutorials/apps-and-services/data-flow-dark.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=RNJQjOGIp-QHg-Gg&q=85&s=b8efc0c0c9832e03f0d36efc9d6f1316" className="hidden dark:block" alt="Data flows from an external system like Snowflake, through a service that exposes tools, into an app like Customer Insights" width="1760" height="540" data-path="images/tutorials/apps-and-services/data-flow-dark.png" />

## Services connect your data

A service is a connection to an external system — a database, a CRM, an API. When you create a service, Synthetiq generates a set of **tools** that let the workspace agent (and any apps you build) interact with that system.

Services don't have a user interface. They're the data layer that powers everything else.

**Example:** A Snowflake service gives your workspace tools like `list_databases`, `execute_query`, and `describe_table` — available in chat and in any app that needs Snowflake data.

## Apps are what people use

An app is a full web application — pages, database, authentication, and API — built by the AppWriter agent from a description you provide in chat.

Apps are interactive. You open them, click around, and get work done. They can pull data from your connected services, so the information stays live.

**Example:** A sales dashboard that queries your Snowflake service for revenue trends and displays them in charts and tables.

## At a glance

|                       | Service                             | App                              |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| **What it is**        | A connection to an external system  | A full web application           |
| **Has a UI**          | No                                  | Yes — pages, forms, dashboards   |
| **Has a database**    | No — reads from the external system | Yes — its own isolated database  |
| **Authentication**    | Credentials for the external system | Built-in user auth and roles     |
| **Created by**        | Service Writer                      | App Writer                       |
| **Available in chat** | Yes — tools appear automatically    | Yes — through its API            |
| **Can be shared**     | Yes — via the Discover store        | Yes — via the Discover store     |
| **Example**           | Snowflake connector, Salesforce CRM | Sales dashboard, contact manager |