Data apps overview
Data apps let you create and manage dashboards, reports, and applications to share with a team or the public. They are built using Observable Framework, our open-source static site generator. Framework includes a preview server for local development, and a command-line interface for automating builds & deploys.
![Screenshot an Observable Framework dashboard and the corresponding text editor.](/documentation/assets/framework-project.Dteh5NSj.png)
Framework applications are built locally, then deployed to Observable, where they get access to many features, such as:
- Access controls - share your apps with ease. Once your application is deployed, you can grant access to your team, specific users, or with the public. Secret links allow you to securely share work with non-Observable users. Enterprise users can also control access using custom groups and SSO.
- Analytics - understand who is viewing your dashboards and how frequently with analytics. You can see which pages in your app get the most visitors and which users become regulars to a given page.
- Security - make sure your data never leaves your network. Enterprise users can deploy data apps on-premises while using the Observable site to manage and access builds.
- Scalability - Observable-hosted data apps are an affordable way to share data applications for private and public consumption. We charge based on viewers rather than views, encouraging teams to build dashboards without worrying about the size of your data or the number of visualizations you create. We use a simple, predictable pricing model to help you navigate your costs.
To get started with data apps, navigate to the data apps section in your workspace, or go to the explore page to view examples.