Snowflake App Runtime

Snowflake App Runtime lets you go from an idea to a live, deployed web application in minutes. No infrastructure to provision, no credentials to configure, no Docker expertise required. Your app runs inside Snowflake, right next to your data, with direct access to your tables, warehouses, and security model. Describe what you want to build in Cortex Code CLI or Cortex Code Desktop, Snowflake’s AI coding agents. The agent scaffolds the project, wires up your Snowflake data, and deploys to a live URL.

During public preview, App Runtime builds Node.js apps (with a focus on Next.js). Python support is planned.

Why build on Snowflake?

  • Your data is already here. Query Snowflake tables directly from your application code. No API layers, no ETL, no data egress.
  • Enterprise-ready by default. SSO, role-based access control, audit logging, and governance are inherited from your Snowflake account. You don’t configure them; they’re already on.
  • Agentic build and deploy. Describe the app in Cortex Code; the agent scaffolds the project, helps you test locally, and deploys when you’re ready. You get a live, authenticated URL without managing Dockerfiles, container registries, or CI/CD pipelines.
  • Secure by design. Your app runs inside Snowflake’s security perimeter. End users authenticate through Snowflake’s existing identity provider. Queries can run as the calling user for per-user access control, with no auth system to build. No secrets to manage.

Quick start with Cortex Code

The fastest way to build and deploy is with Cortex Code CLI or Cortex Code Desktop. Both bundle the snowflake-apps skill; you invoke it a little differently in each client.

Describe your app in chat with the $snowflake-apps prefix:

> $snowflake-apps Build me a warehouse monitor that shows all my
  warehouses with their current state and credit usage today

Cortex Code generates a Next.js project, wires up Snowflake data access, tests locally, and deploys with snow app deploy. Your app is live in minutes.

See Getting started with Snowflake App Runtime for environment setup, the Snowflake CLI-only path, and connecting apps to Snowflake data.

Quick start with the CLI

If you already have application code, initialize and deploy:

snow app setup
snow app deploy

snow app setup generates a snowflake.yml project definition. snow app deploy uploads your source, builds it remotely, and returns a live URL. See Getting started with Snowflake App Runtime for the full walkthrough.

How this relates to Streamlit

Streamlit in Snowflake and Snowflake App Runtime are both ways to build applications directly on your data. They’re designed for different use cases:

  • Streamlit: Python-first, opinionated, guardrailed. The right choice for dashboards, data exploration, and analyst self-serve tools. Fast path to a polished data app without writing frontend code.
  • Snowflake App Runtime: Full power of the web. The right choice when you need custom UI, multi-step workflows, rich interactions, or the broader JavaScript and TypeScript ecosystem (React, Next.js).

Choose based on what you’re building. Both run inside Snowflake’s security perimeter, both inherit your RBAC, and both give you direct access to your data without building API layers. Both are part of Snowflake Apps: deployed apps surface in the same catalog regardless of how they were built.

Related content

The table below lists this doc set in sidebar order. For installs and your first deploy, start with Getting started with Snowflake App Runtime.

GuideDescription
Getting started with Snowflake App RuntimeInstall tools, build with Cortex Code or the CLI, and deploy your first app.
Account administrator setup for Snowflake App RuntimeShared deploy defaults and role grants in Snowsight (account administrators).
Observability for Snowflake App RuntimeApp status and container logs.
Optional app.yml manifest for Snowflake App RuntimeOptional app.yml build manifest.
Access control for Snowflake App RuntimeShare apps and delegate operations.
Snowflake App Runtime privilegesGrants for deploy and day-to-day operations.
Snowflake App Runtime limitationsPublic preview limitations.
Snowflake Apps CLI commandssnow app command reference (Snowflake CLI section).
Snowflake Apps SQL commandsApplication Service SQL and log functions (SQL command reference).