Web apps and snippets — overview
Updated 2026-11-13
What the web app and the web snippets are, where you find them, and which one fits your case. Both turn a published service into a calculator people can use in a browser, without you writing front-end code.
What you get
The Apps tab of a service offers two ready-made front ends for your calculation:
- Web App (Web-App): a complete page with one field per input, a Calculate Results button and the list of results. It has its own address. You share it as a link or as a QR code.
- Web Snippets (Web-Snippets): compact views of the same calculation that you place inside your own website, blog or documentation with an
<iframe>. There are 15 layouts, from a simple card to a pricing calculator.
Both are generated from the inputs and outputs of your service. The titles you gave your inputs and outputs become the labels, allowed values become lists, and number formats are used for display. Visitors see the input fields and the results; they never see the workbook or its formulas.
Where to find it
- Open your service.
- Publish (Veröffentlichen) the service if it is not published yet. Until then the Apps tab shows the note "Web apps, forms, and embeddable widgets are ready once your service is published."
- Open the Apps tab. The menu on the left has four entries:
| Entry | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Overview (Übersicht) | The two options at a glance and, for a protected service, Token Management (Token-Verwaltung) |
| Theme | Colours and style for the web app and the snippets |
| Web App → Default App (Web-App → Standard-App) | The web app's address, QR code, app rules and a live preview |
| Web Snippets (Web-Snippets) | One entry per layout with its embed address, iframe code and a live preview |
If your service requires a token, Web App and Web Snippets appear after you created a web app token under Overview. See Who can open the app.
Which one to use
| You want to … | Use |
|---|---|
| Send colleagues or customers a link to a calculator | Web App |
| Put a calculator on a poster, a slide or a product label | Web App with the QR code |
| Show a calculator inside your own web page | Web Snippet |
| Show only the results for fixed values, for example on a dashboard | Web Snippet in Results mode |
| Show or hide fields depending on what the visitor picks | Web App with app rules |
| Build your own interface with your own code | The API: see Call a service over the API |
Typical uses are price calculators for customers, quotes and cost estimates, data lookups and validations, forms with calculations, and small KPI displays.
What to know before you start
- The service must be published. The apps calculate with the published version of the workbook.
- Every calculation a visitor runs is one call of your service. It counts toward the calls of your plan and toward the limit of 1,000 calls per minute per service. See Call limits.
- Appearance settings (theme, custom CSS, app rules) take effect after Save (Speichern). Changes to the workbook, to inputs or to outputs reach visitors after you publish again.
- Percentage inputs are shown to visitors as percent: they type 5 for 5%.
Related topics
For developers and agents
- Web app address:
https://spreadapi.io/app/v1/services/{serviceId} - Snippet address:
https://spreadapi.io/app/v1/services/{serviceId}/view/{templateId}?interactive=true - Template ids:
card,table,liveWidget,compact,twoColumn,statsRow,comparison,statusBadges,calculator,splitView,formCard,quickTool,pricing,estimator,builder. - Both front ends calculate through the same service API as every other caller, so input validation, limits and results are identical.
- An agent that needs values, not a page, should call the API directly instead of reading an app page.
FAQ
What is the difference between the web app and a web snippet?
The web app is a complete page with its own address that you share as a link or QR code. A web snippet is a compact view that you embed in your own web page with an iframe. Both use the same inputs, outputs and calculation.
Where do I find the Apps tab?
Open your service and click Apps in the tab bar. The tab becomes available once the service is published.
Why does the Apps tab only show a message about publishing?
Web apps and snippets work on the published version of a service. Click Publish, then open Apps again.
Do I need to write code to get a calculator page?
No. The web app is generated from your inputs and outputs, and you only share its link. For a snippet you paste one line of iframe code into your web page.
Do calculations in the web app count as API calls?
Yes. Each calculation a visitor runs in the web app or in a snippet is one call of the service and counts toward the calls of your plan. See Call limits.
Can visitors see my Excel file or formulas in the app?
No. Visitors see the input fields and the calculated results only. The workbook and its formulas stay on the server.
How many snippet layouts are there?
There are 15 layouts, for example Card, Table, Calculator Panel, Pricing Calculator and Cost Estimator. See Web snippets for the full list.
As an agent, should I use the web app address to run a calculation?
No. The app pages are made for people in a browser. Call the service over the API or its discovery address instead; see Call a service over the API.