How to Build Your First Sitecore Marketplace App with the Marketplace SDK

Introduction

Modern digital experience platforms are expected to integrate with far more than a traditional CMS. Organisations increasingly need AI-powered content generation, CRM connectivity, translation services, digital asset management, workflow automation, and analytics—all delivered within a seamless authoring experience.

Historically, many of these requirements were addressed through custom Sitecore modules or platform modifications. While effective, these approaches often increased maintenance effort and made platform upgrades more complex.

The Sitecore Marketplace SDK introduces a modern alternative. Instead of extending Sitecore through customisations, developers can build independent Marketplace Apps that integrate securely into Sitecore using supported extension points.

In this guide, you'll learn how the Marketplace SDK works, how to build your first Marketplace App, the available SDK packages, and the types of enterprise applications organisations can develop using this new extensibility model.

What is the Sitecore Marketplace SDK?

The Sitecore Marketplace SDK is a JavaScript and TypeScript SDK that enables developers to build applications that run inside Sitecore products such as Sitecore XM Cloud.

Rather than deploying custom code directly into the Sitecore platform, Marketplace Apps run independently and communicate securely with Sitecore through the SDK.

This modern architecture provides several advantages:

• Reduce platform customisation
• Simplify upgrades
• Build reusable applications
• Integrate external business systems
• Deliver AI-powered experiences
• Improve long-term maintainability

Because Marketplace Apps are decoupled from the Sitecore platform, organisations can continue to evolve their applications independently as Sitecore releases new platform updates.

Understanding Marketplace Apps

A Marketplace App behaves much like a modern SaaS integration.

The application is hosted separately—typically using technologies such as Next.js, React, and Azure—and is displayed inside Sitecore through predefined extension points.

Using the Marketplace SDK, the application can securely communicate with Sitecore to:

• Retrieve application context
• Read page information
• Query site details
• Update content
• Refresh the Page Builder
• Call Sitecore APIs
• Integrate AI capabilities
• Connect external enterprise systems

This architecture enables developers to build powerful business applications without modifying the core Sitecore platform.

Getting Started

Sitecore provides two approaches for creating a Marketplace App.

Option 1: Manual Setup

Developers can initialise the Marketplace SDK within an existing React or Next.js project by installing the required SDK packages and configuring the application manually.

This approach is ideal when integrating Marketplace functionality into an existing application.

Option 2: CLI Quick Start (Recommended)

For new projects, Sitecore recommends using the Marketplace CLI templates.

With a single command, developers can scaffold a complete Next.js App Router project that includes:

• Marketplace SDK
• Authentication
• Blok UI components
• Sample API calls
• Recommended project structure

This significantly reduces setup time and allows development teams to focus on business functionality rather than infrastructure.

Marketplace SDK Packages

The Marketplace SDK follows a modular architecture, allowing developers to install only the packages required for their application.

Client Package

The client package is required for every Marketplace App.

It establishes secure communication between the Marketplace App and Sitecore through a sandboxed iframe, enabling queries and mutations that do not require product-specific APIs.

XM Cloud Package

The xmc package provides access to Sitecore APIs, including:

• Authoring & Management GraphQL API
• Pages API
• Sites API
• Search Configuration API
• Agent API

This package is required whenever your application needs to interact with Sitecore content or management capabilities.

AI Package

The ai package enables Marketplace Apps to leverage Sitecore AI capabilities.

For example, developers can integrate the Brand Review API to automatically evaluate content against:

• Brand guidelines
• Accessibility requirements
• Tone of voice
• Corporate compliance

Building Your First Marketplace App

A typical Marketplace App follows a straightforward workflow.

Step 1 — Create the Project

Create a new Marketplace project using either the CLI Quick Start or the manual setup approach.

Step 2 — Run the Application

Run the application locally and open it from the configured Sitecore extension point.

Step 3 — Retrieve the Application Context

Retrieve the application context to determine which Sitecore environment the application is running in.

Step 4 — Query Site Information

Retrieve additional information such as:

• Current page
• Current site
• Environment details
• Context IDs

Step 5 — Build Your Business Logic

Implement Marketplace queries, mutations, and Sitecore API calls to deliver your business functionality.

Step 6 — Test Inside Sitecore

Always validate Marketplace functionality from within the Sitecore extension point, where SDK communication and Sitecore APIs are fully available.

What Can You Build?

The Marketplace SDK enables organisations to build a wide range of enterprise applications.

Some popular examples include:

AI Content Assistant

Generate:

• Blog posts
• Landing pages
• Product descriptions
• Marketing copy
• FAQs

directly inside Sitecore.

Translation Manager

Integrate with services such as:

• DeepL
• Azure AI Translator
• Google Cloud Translation

to automate multilingual content workflows.

SEO Optimiser

Analyse pages for:

• Metadata
• Readability
• Accessibility
• Keyword optimisation
• Missing SEO fields

before publishing.

Digital Asset Connector

Integrate Sitecore with Digital Asset Management platforms including:

• Bynder
• Cloudinary
• Adobe Experience Manager Assets

Product Information Management (PIM)

Synchronise product information from:

• SAP
• Akeneo
• Pimcore
• Microsoft Dynamics

CRM Dashboard

Provide marketers with customer insights by integrating Sitecore with:

• Salesforce
• Microsoft Dynamics 365
• HubSpot

Analytics Dashboard

Display dashboards from:

• Power BI
• Google Analytics 4
• Adobe Analytics

without leaving Sitecore.

Brand Compliance Checker

Use AI to validate:

• Brand tone
• Visual identity
• Accessibility
• Legal requirements

before content is published.

Best Practices

When developing Marketplace Apps, Sitecore recommends following these best practices:

• Use Next.js for applications requiring server-side functionality.
• Keep interactive functionality on the client side.
• Initialise the Marketplace SDK centrally using React Context or a custom hook.
• Store secrets securely using environment variables.
• Validate all user input before sending data to Sitecore.
• Display loading indicators and meaningful success or error messages.
• Develop the UI locally, but always test Marketplace functionality inside the Sitecore extension point.

Following these practices helps create applications that are secure, maintainable, scalable, and aligned with the Marketplace architecture.

Why Marketplace Apps Matter

The Marketplace SDK represents a significant shift in how organisations extend Sitecore.

Instead of relying on custom platform modifications, businesses can build reusable applications that integrate cleanly with Sitecore while remaining independently deployable.

This approach provides several long-term advantages:

• Faster delivery of new features
• Reduced upgrade complexity
• Improved scalability
• Better separation of concerns
• Easier integration with enterprise systems
• Greater flexibility for AI-powered solutions

For organisations adopting Sitecore XM Cloud, Marketplace Apps provide a future-ready way to deliver business-specific functionality without increasing platform maintenance.

Our Perspective

At Aaitek, we believe the Sitecore Marketplace SDK is one of the most significant developments in the Sitecore ecosystem.

Rather than treating every customer requirement as a custom development project, organisations can now build reusable Marketplace Apps that encapsulate business functionality, integrate securely with Sitecore, and evolve independently of the core platform.

As AI, composable architecture, and cloud-native development continue to shape enterprise digital experiences, Marketplace Apps will become an essential part of modern Sitecore solution architecture.

Final Thoughts

The Sitecore Marketplace SDK provides developers with a modern and supported framework for extending Sitecore XM Cloud.

Whether you're building AI-powered content tools, enterprise integrations, workflow automation, or custom editorial experiences, the SDK enables you to deliver scalable applications that integrate seamlessly with Sitecore while remaining easy to maintain.

For organisations investing in Sitecore XM Cloud, adopting a Marketplace-first approach can accelerate delivery, reduce technical debt, and future-proof digital experience investments.

About Aaitek

Aaitek specialises in enterprise digital experience platforms, cloud-native architecture, and AI-powered solutions. We help organisations design, build, modernise, and optimise Sitecore XM Cloud implementations using modern technologies including .NET, Next.js, React, Azure, AI, and the Sitecore Marketplace SDK.

Whether you're planning to build your first Marketplace App, migrate to Sitecore XM Cloud, or develop enterprise integrations, our team can help you deliver secure, scalable, and future-ready digital experiences.