Quickstart

Get your first widget live in under 15 minutes. This guide walks you through the full flow: sign up, connect your API, build a widget, and test it on a real device.

Prerequisites

• A REST API endpoint that returns JSON (any backend, any language)
• An iOS or Android device with the NativeSuite app installed

Step 1: Create Your Account

1. Go to the NativeSuite dashboard and sign up
2. Verify your email
3. Create your workspace (pick a name and handle)

Step 2: Create an App

1. From the dashboard, click Create App
2. Give your app a name and slug (e.g., "My SaaS" / my-saas)
3. Optionally add your website URL and support email

Step 3: Connect Your API

1. Go to Data Sources and click Create Data Source
2. Enter your API endpoint URL (e.g., https://api.example.com/stats)
3. Configure authentication if needed (API key, Bearer token, etc.)
4. Map the response — NativeSuite shows you the JSON structure and lets you pick which fields to expose

Example

If your API returns:

{
  "revenue": { "total": 48290, "change": 12.4 },
  "orders": 142
}

You'd map revenue.total, revenue.change, and orders as available fields.

Step 4: Set Up Authentication

Your end users need a way to authenticate so NativeSuite can fetch their personalized data.

1. Go to Authentication and click Create Auth Provider
2. Choose one of:
   • API Key — simplest option, users enter a key you provide them
   • Username & Password — users log in with credentials from your app
   • OAuth Redirect — redirect users to your web-based login flow

Step 5: Create a Release

Releases are versioned snapshots of your widgets and notifications.

1. Go to Releases and click Create Release
2. Set a version (e.g., 1.0.0), name, and optional description
3. Upload a logo and pick a category

Step 6: Build a Widget

1. Inside your release, click Add Widget
2. Pick a template (start with Stat for a simple metric)
3. Select your data source
4. Map the template fields:
   • Label → a static string like "Monthly Revenue"
   • Value → mapped to revenue.total from your data source
   • Change → mapped to revenue.change
5. Configure the style and sizes you want to support

Step 7: Test It

1. Go to Testers and invite yourself (enter your email)
2. Accept the invite from the NativeSuite mobile app
3. Move your release to Testing status
4. Open the mobile app — you should see your widget with live data
5. Add the widget to your home screen

Step 8: Go Live

Once you're happy with testing:

1. Submit for review — your release gets reviewed before going public
2. Once approved, click Publish to make it live

What's Next?

• Building Widgets — Deep dive into all seven templates
• Push Notifications — Set up notification templates
• Core Concepts — Understand the full data model