> Documentation index: [Saleor](/llms.txt) · [This section](/developer/llms.txt)
> Source: https://docs.saleor.io/developer/extending/apps/developing-apps/apps-patterns/app-lifecycle-webhooks

# Subscribing to App Lifecycle Webhooks

Apps can subscribe to webhooks describing their own lifecycle. This allows the app to react to its own installation, deactivation, or uninstallation — for example, to provision tenant data on install or to clean up after itself when removed.

info

Available in Saleor 3.23+.

<a id="available-events"></a>

## Available events

The following [asynchronous webhook events](/developer/extending/webhooks/asynchronous-events.md) describe the app lifecycle:

| Event | Triggered when |
| --- | --- |
| `APP_INSTALLED` | A new app finishes installation. |
| `APP_UPDATED` | An app is updated (for example, its permissions or webhooks change). |
| `APP_STATUS_CHANGED` | An app is activated or deactivated via [`appActivate`](/api-reference/apps/mutations/app-activate.md) or [`appDeactivate`](/api-reference/apps/mutations/app-deactivate.md). |
| `APP_DELETED` | An app is removed via [`appDelete`](/api-reference/apps/mutations/app-delete.md). |

The corresponding GraphQL subscription payloads are [`AppInstalled`](/api-reference/apps/objects/app-installed.md), [`AppUpdated`](/api-reference/apps/objects/app-updated.md), [`AppStatusChanged`](/api-reference/apps/objects/app-status-changed.md), and [`AppDeleted`](/api-reference/apps/objects/app-deleted.md). Each payload exposes both the `app` the event relates to and the `recipient` — the app receiving the webhook.

<a id="subscribing-from-a-manifest"></a>

## Subscribing from a manifest

Declare the webhook in your [app manifest](/developer/extending/apps/architecture/manifest.md) just like any other async webhook:

```json
{
  "webhooks": [
    {
      "name": "App deleted",
      "asyncEvents": ["APP_DELETED"],
      "query": "subscription { event { ... on AppDeleted { app { id } recipient { id } } } }",
      "targetUrl": "https://my-app.example.com/api/webhooks/app-deleted"
    }
  ]
}
```

No extra permissions are required. Saleor delivers an app's own lifecycle events to the app, and this app only.

<a id="cleaning-up-after-uninstallation"></a>

## Cleaning up after uninstallation

The most common use case for `APP_DELETED` is letting the app clean up state it keeps in **external services** when the merchant removes it.

There is no need to clean up data inside Saleor: the `App` object is removed, its `privateMetadata` is dropped along with it, and the app's auth token is invalidated — calls back to Saleor would fail anyway. `APP_DELETED` is purely a signal to clean up things Saleor cannot reach.

Typical cleanup actions include:

-   Removing tenant rows from the app's own database (configuration, mappings, cached resources).
-   Revoking credentials issued to third-party services on behalf of the merchant.
-   Cancelling subscriptions or scheduled jobs scoped to the tenant.
-   Deleting object storage entries (uploaded files, generated reports) tied to the installation.

<a id="identifying-the-tenant"></a>

### Identifying the tenant

The webhook body is signed and includes the standard `saleor-api-url` header, so the app can match the event to a specific Saleor installation in its own storage. Combined with the `recipient.id` field in the subscription payload, this is enough to locate and remove the right records.

```graphql
subscription {
  event {
    ... on AppDeleted {
      recipient {
        id
      }
    }
  }
}
```

<a id="reacting-to-deactivation"></a>

### Reacting to deactivation

`APP_STATUS_CHANGED` fires on both activation and deactivation. Treat deactivation as a _pause_ rather than a removal — the app installation still exists and can be re-activated, so prefer disabling background work over deleting tenant data. Use `APP_DELETED` for destructive cleanup.

<a id="related"></a>

## Related

-   [Asynchronous Events](/developer/extending/webhooks/asynchronous-events.md)
-   [App Manifest](/developer/extending/apps/architecture/manifest.md)
-   [How to Store App Data](/developer/extending/apps/developing-apps/apps-patterns/persistence-with-metadata-manager.md)