> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.natecosmic.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Apps

> Apps, client_id, and where to send OAuth traffic.

An **app** is the integration object you create in the{" "}
<a href="https://natecosmic.com/developers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">developer portal</a>. It corresponds to an OAuth **client** registered with COSMIC Auth.

## App configuration

Each app includes:

* A **`client_id`** your integration sends when starting OAuth flows and exchanging codes or tokens with COSMIC Auth
* One or more registered **`redirect_uri`** values (HTTPS callbacks where the browser returns after authorization)
* **Scopes** configured in the{" "}
  <a href="https://natecosmic.com/developers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">developer portal</a>{" "}
  that control what the app can do in the COSMIC API—shown to the user at consent; see [Scopes](/concepts/scopes)

<Note>
  Apps can be **public** or **confidential** clients, depending on whether they can securely store a `client_secret`. See [Creating apps](/guides/creating-apps) for client type guidance.
</Note>

## OAuth endpoints

OAuth authorize and token traffic uses **`https://api.natecosmic.com`**. See [OAuth](/guides/oauth) and [API reference](/api-reference/api).

## Lifecycle

Create and configure apps in the{" "}
<a href="https://natecosmic.com/developers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">developer portal</a>{" "}
before redirecting end users to the authorize endpoint. See [Creating apps](/guides/creating-apps), [OAuth](/guides/oauth), and [Quickstart](/quickstart).