Deployment Basics Applications Overview

Applications Overview

Navigator's Deployments allow you to run your AI Flows persistently on Clusters, but managing access and user permissions for these deployments can be challenging in larger organizations. Applications provide a powerful way to organize and control access to your deployments, enabling you to assign specific users to specific applications and control which deployments they can interact with.

Applications serve as a bridge between your deployments and end users, particularly when working with Companion. They allow you to create custom chat models that can interact with Companion, while giving you granular control over user access and deployment versioning. In this article we will cover the components of the Applications tab as well go through creating an application and managing user access.

Overview

Applications Tab

Application Details

 

1. Application Name and Description

When creating an application you will provide a Name (required) and a Description (optional). By clicking on the Application Name you will see the Application Details page. Naming Applications clearly is important as Members in your Organization will see these Applications and this Application Name is what displays within Companion. 

2. Application Status

The Status of an Application is tied to the status of the assigned Deployment. The Application status will indicate if the Application can be interacted with inside of Companion. An Application must be Active for users to interact with it inside of Companion. 

3. Admin

The Admin column displays which user created the application. 

4. Associated Deployment

The Deployment that this Application is linked to. Clicking on this Deployment will take you to the Deployment Details page. Applications are coupled with specific Deployments, allowing you to control which deployment version users interact with through this application. For more information on Deployments see our Deployments Overview guide.

5. Deployment Version

The specific version of the Deployment that is associated with this Application. This displays exactly which version of your Flow users will interact with along with the date that the version was created. 

6. Add Application Button

Clicking the Add Application button will begin the process of creating a new Application. We will discuss the steps for creating an Application in detail in this article.

7. Assigned Users Tab

The number of users who have been assigned to this Application. Applications provide granular user control, allowing you to specify exactly which users can access and interact with the associated deployment. This is particularly useful for managing access to different deployments across your organization.

8. LLM Feedback

The LLM Feedback tab within an Application Details displays the feedback users have provided on the responses from an Application inside of Navigator. These include the 

  • Query ID 
  • Timestamp of the feedback
  • Feedback provided
  • Prompt & Response 
  • Tags given during feedback 
  • Additional Comments 

9. Feedback Score

Your Feedback Score is a weighted score of all the feedback your Application has received to date. There are five ranges of scores: 

  • Very Negative - 0-20
  • Negative - 21-40
  • Neutral - 41-60
  • Postive - 61 -80
  • Very Positive - 81-90
     

10. Edit & Delete Button 

The edit button next to an Application allows you to Edit/Rename an Application, Update the associated Deployment, as well as the Avatar or Image. The Delete button allows you to delete an Application. 
 

Why Use Applications?

Applications provide several key benefits for managing your AI deployments and controlling user access:

  • User Access Control: Assign specific users to specific applications, giving you fine-grained control over who can see and interact with which deployments
  • Companion Integration: Enable custom chat models to interact with Companion, providing a user-friendly interface for accessing your AI deployments
  • Deployment Versioning: Control exactly which version of a deployment users interact with, allowing you to test new versions or maintain stable versions for production use
  • Organizational Management: Organize deployments by application, making it easier to manage access across different teams, departments, or use cases

Creating an Application

Once you have met created a Deployment you are ready to create an Application!

  1. Navigate to the Applications tab in Navigator
  2. Click the Add Application button

  3. Provide a Name and Description for this Application → Click Next

    Choose a clear, descriptive name that will help users identify the purpose of this application. The description is optional but recommended for better organization.

  4. Select the Cluster and Deployment you would like to associate with this Application → Click Next

    Only active deployments will be available for selection. If you don't see the deployment you're looking for, ensure it has been created and is currently active. For more information on creating deployments see our Deployments Overview guide.

  5. Select the Deployment you would like to associate with this Application → Click Next

    You can update the version associated with an Application at any time after creation. This allows you to test new versions or roll back to previous ones without creating a new Application.

  6. (Optional) Select the users you would like to assign to this Application. You can search for users by name or email, and select multiple users at once → Click Next or Skip

    You can also assign users to an Application after creation from the Application Details page. Users must be members of the same Organization as the Application.

  7. Review the Application Summary where you can Edit any of these previous steps → Click Create
  8. You should see a toast notification that your Application has been created. You should now see your newly created Application on the Applications tab! Once the Application is Active you should see this appear inside of your Companion app! 

Applications and Deployment Coupling

Applications are tightly coupled with Deployments and their versions. 

Version Control

Each Application is associated with a specific Deployment, which means:

  • Users assigned to an Application will always interact with the Deployment you've specified
  • This allows you to test new versions with a subset of users before rolling out to everyone

Managing Applications

Viewing Application Details

  • Click into your Application from the Applications tab to see the Application Details page
  • View the associated Deployment, Version, assigned users, and Companion integration settings
  • Access options to edit, update, or delete the Application

Updating Applications

  • From the Applications tab, locate your Application and click on the Application name or the edit button
  • Update the Application name, description, or associated Deployment
  • Add or remove assigned users as needed on the Users tab in an Application Details page

Managing User Access

User management is a core feature of Applications. You can:

  • Assign specific users to specific Applications, giving you fine-grained control over who can access which deployments
  • Remove users from Applications when access is no longer needed
  • View all users assigned to an Application from the Application Details -> Users tab
  • Search and filter users when assigning them to Applications

Users must be members of the same Organization as the Application to be assigned to it. For more information on user management see our Organizations and User Management guide.

Companion Integration

One of the primary use cases for Applications is enabling custom chat models to interact with Companion. When you enable Companion integration for an Application:

  • Users assigned to the Application can access the associated deployment through Companion
  • The custom chat model from your deployment becomes available in Companion's interface
  • Only users assigned to the Application will see it in Companion, providing access control at the user level

For more information on using Companion, see our Using Companion and Getting Started with Companion guides.

Best Practices

  • Naming Conventions: Use clear, descriptive names for Applications that indicate their purpose and target audience (e.g., "Customer Support Chat - Production" or "Internal Knowledge Base - Beta")
  • Version Management: Create separate Applications for testing new versions before rolling them out to production users
  • User Access: Regularly review and update user assignments to ensure only authorized users have access to each Application
  • Documentation: Use the Description field to document the purpose of each Application and any special configuration or requirements
  • Testing: Test Applications with a small group of users before rolling out to larger audiences, especially when using new deployment versions

Troubleshooting

If your Application isn't working as expected:

  • Verify that the associated Deployment is active and running
  • Check that the Deployment version associated with the Application still exists and is valid
  • Confirm that users are properly assigned to the Application and are members of the correct Organization
  • Review the Deployment logs to ensure the underlying deployment is functioning correctly

If you can't add new Users to your Application: 

By following these steps, you can successfully create and manage Applications that provide controlled access to your AI deployments, enabling better user management and integration with Companion.

Next Steps