# Test your app externally

Set up and distribute test versions of your app before publication.

> External testing is currently only available for public apps.

You can set up an external test to enable other accounts to install your app before you publish and distribute a new version to the App Marketplace.

## Before you begin

1. [Create your app](https://docs.stripe.com/stripe-apps/create-app.md).
1. Review the mandatory [App review requirements](https://docs.stripe.com/stripe-apps/review-requirements.md).
1. [Upload your app](https://docs.stripe.com/stripe-apps/upload-install-app.md) in test mode.
1. There is a limit of 25 testers per app. Limit the use of external tests for testing purposes only.

## Set up an external test 
![Set up test app](https://b.stripecdn.com/docs-statics-srv/assets/test-app-setup.b1dacf8f5ad162d1a72cb26162cbb12a.png)

Invite users in the Dashboard

1. From the **[Developer’s Dashboard](https://dashboard.stripe.com/developers) > [Apps](https://dashboard.stripe.com/apps)**, select the app you want to test externally.
1. Click the **External test** tab, then click **Get Started**.
   - If you don’t see the **External test** tab, verify if you’ve selected public distribution from **Create a release**.
1. Complete the following fields to configure external testing (which you can edit at any time):
   - **Link access**: Choose whether anyone can install the app using the link or to restrict to invited users only.
   - **Version**: Select a version for users to install. If you change the version, all current users will be updated to the new version.
1. Click the invite link to copy it, and send to users for them to install on their account. These users must have administrator rights to install the app.
   - Apps using OAuth have separate live mode and test mode install links. Send the correct link to your users based on their use case.

Result: After a user installs the test version of your app, all members of the account can use it.
![The location of test OAuth links within the Stripe Dashboard](https://b.stripecdn.com/docs-statics-srv/assets/test-oauth-links.a5b8e31857cfe1a8d6b356f89738ff5d.png)

## Update the version of your test app 

1. From the **[Developer’s Dashboard](https://dashboard.stripe.com/developers) > [Apps](https://dashboard.stripe.com/apps)**, select the app you want to test externally.
1. Click the **External test** tab, then click **Edit**.
1. Select a new version of your app from the dropdown, and click **Save**.

Result: After you save, all test apps of current users will automatically update to the new version.

## Evaluating your test app 

You must inform your users that test apps are still in development and haven’t been reviewed by Stripe. Users should only install apps from developers they trust.

### Installing the test app 

After the tester opens the invite link, Stripe redirects them to the following page in the Stripe Dashboard:
![Installation invite](https://b.stripecdn.com/docs-statics-srv/assets/test-app-install.2d67f49c8cafcfb964c9d19ff7cf6d30.png)

Installation invite

After the user installs the app, all members on the account can use it. If the published version of the app is already installed on the account, it needs to be uninstalled before the test version can be installed.

### Using the test app 

After installation, the app displays in the dock on the right side of the Dashboard. After the tester opens the test app, there is a test version badge next to the app name. They can hover over this badge to learn more about the app and the testing criteria.
![Using test app](https://b.stripecdn.com/docs-statics-srv/assets/test-app-using.49c64bd7d77b4b76e26ebd6852b40485.png)

Test app in dock

### Leaving the test 

If users no longer want to evaluate a test app, they must select it from **[Settings](https://dashboard.stripe.com/settings/apps) > [Installed Apps](https://dashboard.stripe.com/settings/apps)** and uninstall it. If the published version of the app was previously installed on the account, users can reinstall the app from the App Marketplace.
![Uninstall test app](https://b.stripecdn.com/docs-statics-srv/assets/test-app-uninstall.710b89177767cff3a7f53de749558d88.png)

Settings page

### Ending the test 

Currently, we don’t support ending external testing with the Stripe Dashboard. Instead, to end a test of an app, you must upload a new version of the app to disable the functionality. After this update, the new test version is available for external testing.

## See also

- [Publish your app](https://docs.stripe.com/stripe-apps/publish-app.md)
- [App review requirements](https://docs.stripe.com/stripe-apps/review-requirements.md)