Prerequisites

For the most part, building an app with the Canva Developers SDK is similar to developing any other web-based software, so any knowledge you have of modern coding standards, tools, and workflows will be beneficial. However, we don't want to assume that everyone has the same background, so this page outlines exactly what you'll need. What you need also depends on the surface you're building for, so start with the summary for your surface and then read the detail below it.

Find the list for the surface you're building for. You only need the tooling for the surfaces you build on:

• Apps inside Canva:
  • A relatively modern web browser
  • A free Canva⁠(opens in a new tab or window) account
  • A command line application, such as Terminal on macOS
  • An installation of git, and Node.js (v24) with npm (v11)
  • Some knowledge of TypeScript and React
• Canva for your platform:
  • A Canva⁠(opens in a new tab or window) account
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)⁠(opens in a new tab or window) set up on your Canva account
  • An installation of git, and Node.js (v24) with npm (v11)
• Canva for AI assistants:
  • A Canva⁠(opens in a new tab or window) account, on any plan
  • An AI tool or assistant that supports the Model Context Protocol

Canva has a Developer Portal⁠(opens in a new tab or window) for creating, configuring, and otherwise managing apps. Anyone with a standard Canva account has complete access to the Developer Portal. To sign up for Canva, click here⁠(opens in a new tab or window).

You need a relatively modern web browser to build apps inside Canva. For a list of supported browsers, see Canva's official technical requirements⁠(opens in a new tab or window).

It's worth noting, however, that:

• Some browsers, such as Safari, have security features that interfere with the development workflow.
• Internally, we use the latest version of Google Chrome, so that's the version we can actively support.
• It's easier to preview an app in a standalone browser, rather than using Canva's desktop app⁠(opens in a new tab or window).

A terminal is an application for running commands that deliver instructions to a computer. This is in contrast to graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that rely on button presses and other forms of interaction. You'll need access to a terminal for various parts of the development workflow, along with some basic command line experience.

All major operating systems have a default terminal:

• On macOS, the default terminal is called Terminal.
• On Windows, the default terminal is called Command Prompt.
• On Linux, the default terminal depends on the distribution.

git is a version control system that makes it easier to collaborate on and release new versions of code. We use git repositories to distribute the starter kits for building apps, so you'll need to know how to clone (download) a repository and, ideally, pull the latest changes as updates are released. To learn more about the starter kit for apps inside Canva, see Starter kit.

winget install --id Git.Git -e --source winget

# Debian/Ubuntu
apt-get install git

# Fedora
dnf install git

# Arch Linux
pacman -Syu git

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime that allows JavaScript to run outside of a browser. We use Node.js in the starter kits and CLI templates as it's a key dependency of developer tooling that we rely on.

The starter kits require Node.js v24.

To install Node.js, we recommend using Node Version Manager⁠(opens in a new tab or window) (nvm). This is a tool for managing multiple versions of Node.js on a single system, which reduces the risk of frustrating versioning errors.

To verify that the correct version is available in the current terminal session, run the following command:

node -v

If the correct version isn't returned, run the following command from the starter kit directory:

nvm use

This will set the correct version based on the starter kit's .nvmrc file. Each starter kit has one in its root directory, so running nvm install from the kit's directory also picks up the correct version: see the .nvmrc for apps inside Canva⁠(opens in a new tab or window) and the .nvmrc for Canva for your platform⁠(opens in a new tab or window).

npm is a package manager for Node.js. The starter kits use npm to install and manage dependencies.

npm 11 is bundled with Node.js 24, so no separate installation is required. Once you have Node.js 24 installed, npm is already available.

To verify that npm is available, run the following command:

npm -v

TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript that adds a variety of features to the language. These features — in particular, static typing — make the language more robust, reducing the likelihood of common errors.

Technically speaking, TypeScript is not required to develop an app. You can use JavaScript. The starter kits are set up to use TypeScript though, and all of the documentation and code samples assume that you're using it.

To learn TypeScript, read the official documentation⁠(opens in a new tab or window).

React is a library for creating fast and interactive user interfaces. For apps inside Canva, it's not strictly required, but it's what we use in the starter kit and documentation, and it's required to use the App UI Kit.

To learn React, read the official documentation⁠(opens in a new tab or window).

Apps inside Canva must be uploaded to the Developer Portal as a single JavaScript file, a process known as bundling. @canva/app-scripts is the package that handles this for you. It's what powers the canva apps start and canva apps build Canva CLI commands, using Rsbuild⁠(opens in a new tab or window) as its bundler by default.

You don't need any bundler knowledge to develop an app. @canva/app-scripts is designed so the bundler stays out of your way, with sensible defaults already configured for React, TypeScript, CSS modules, SVGs, and translation extraction. Some familiarity may still be useful if you want to customize the build.

To learn more, see Canva App Scripts.

For Canva for AI assistants, you need an AI tool or assistant that supports the Model Context Protocol, which is how it connects to the Canva MCP server. Many popular AI tools already have access. For more information, see About Canva MCP.

Once you have what you need for your surface, see Quickstart to get an app up and running.