# Common use cases

Build Stripe apps for common business needs.

The following guides describe how to build Stripe apps for common use cases. Each guide provides end-to-end steps and examples, with instructions for using platform key, OAuth, or Restricted API key (RAK) [authentication](https://docs.stripe.com/stripe-apps/api-authentication.md). The guides also demonstrate how to distribute each app as [a public or private app](https://docs.stripe.com/stripe-apps/distribution-options.md).

| App type                                                                        | Use case                                                                                                                                      |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [Back-end app](https://docs.stripe.com/stripe-apps/back-end-app-example.md)     | An app that runs in the background and syncs data between Stripe and an external system. Back-end apps don’t have a Dashboard user interface. |
| [Front-end app](https://docs.stripe.com/stripe-apps/front-end-app-example.md)   | An app that renders a user interface in the Stripe Dashboard.                                                                                 |
| [Full-stack app](https://docs.stripe.com/stripe-apps/full-stack-app-example.md) | An app that both renders a user interface in the Stripe Dashboard and performs back-end processing.                                           |