What is the Dropbox Business API, and what apps are available for my team?

The Dropbox Business API is an extension of the Dropbox Platform to help you meet your team where they’re working. 

The Dropbox Business API enables a whole suite of security, compliance, and administration solutions — including eDiscovery, data loss prevention (DLP), and security information and event management (SIEM) — or the development of great new apps.

Learn more about our third-party solutions.

What third-party solutions can I enable for my team?

You can view a list of apps on the Dropbox Business Team apps page. That page also contains quick links to the third-party app's website.

The existing third-party solutions include:

• Security information and event management (SIEM) — Allows Dropbox Business admins to oversee and manage employee activity, and access sensitive data through the admin page.
• Data loss prevention (DLP) — Protects sensitive data like PII and PCI stored in Dropbox Business accounts.
• eDiscovery and legal hold — Enables secure search and the ability to collect and preserve electronically stored information (ESI) in Dropbox Business accounts.
• Digital rights management (DRM) — Provides third-party encryption for organization data stored in Dropbox Business accounts.
• Data migration and on-premises backup — Assists in transferring large amounts of data between locations and securing sensitive information with on-site data backup.
• Identity management — Allows organizations to keep their Dropbox Business team authenticated with an external identity provider like Active Directory.
• Custom workflows — Gives users the tools to build in-house apps that integrate Dropbox into their business processes.

How can I manage my existing team apps?

You can manage apps from the app permissions page in the admin console:

1. Log in to dropbox.com with your admin credentials.
2. Click Admin console in the left sidebar.
3. Under Products, click the dropdown to the left of Dropbox.
4. Click Settings.
5. Under Apps, click App permissions.

Each app will have a corresponding access type with one of the following permission levels:

• Team information — information about the team and aggregate usage data
• Team auditing — team information, and the team's detailed activity log
• Team member file access — team info and auditing, and the ability to access and modify data within team member accounts
• Team member management — team information, and the ability to add, edit, and delete team members

You can also remove any app from your team by clicking the X on the right side.

Can team members view the apps that have been connected by an admin?

Dropbox Business admins can install apps that grant them different access types to anything listed in a work account. Team members can view the apps connected to their work accounts (apps with team-member-file access permission) by visiting the Account security page.

Can team members add third-party solutions to their accounts?

At this time, only Dropbox Business admins can enable third-party solutions. If any team members attempt to add a team app, they'll receive this error message: ”Only admins can install team apps”.

I'm a developer — how can I create new apps with the Dropbox Business API?

The Dropbox Business API allows developers to build powerful business applications that can help with administration of a Dropbox Business team and with administering access to team members' file content.

Interested in creating new apps for Dropbox Business? Check out our Developers site to learn more.