Sharing AppMaps

Currently, sharing is only available in the AppMap VS Code extension.

How to share an AppMap

First, turn on the feature flag to enable sharing. In VS Code, this can be done by navigating to File -> Preferences -> Settings, typing AppMap into the search bar, and then checking the box next to App Map: Share Enabled.

Click the ‘share’ button in the top right corner of your AppMap. This will log you into the AppMap server, upload your AppMap, and generate a sharable link.

No source code is sent to or stored on the AppMap server, only AppMaps. AppMap creates a sharable link and puts it on your clipboard. You will see this message in your code editor:

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The first time you attempt to connect to the AppMap server you will be prompted through a series of steps that will create an account.

After clicking the ‘share’ button you will see a message in the code editor describing the action you are about to take. Click ‘OK’ to continue.

Your code editor will inform you of an attempt by the AppMap extension to log into the AppMap server. Click ‘Allow’ to continue.

Logging into the AppMap server must be done through the AppMap server UI. Your code editor will prompt you to confirm that you want to open a web browser to log in. Click ‘Open’ to continue.

The AppMap server will open in you default browser. At this time a Github or Gitlab identity is required to share an AppMap. Click ‘Login with Github’ or ‘Login with GitLab’ to continue.

You will be prompted to approve the OAuth scope for authentication. This does not grant AppMap access to your code. It is for authentication and authorization purposes so that you can manage who has access to your AppMap. Click ‘Authorize getappmap’ to continue.

Once the scope is approved, your AppMap will automatically be uploaded to AppMap server and a link will be copied to your clipboard.

Paste the AppMap link into a browser window to view the AppMap.

Access Control

When an AppMap is uploaded to the AppMap server a unique URL is created. By default AppMaps are visible at a randomly generated, unguessable URL that is not indexed by search engines.

To further restrict access to an AppMap click on the sharing button in the top right corner of the AppMap to open the ‘Share AppMap’ dialog box.

Uncheck the ‘Anyone with the link can view this AppMap’ option in the Share AppMap dialog box. Once the box is unchecked, the AppMap is visible only to the user that created it.

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