Microsoft has unveiled an extension for SharePoint Embedded within Visual Studio Code, enhancing the toolkit available to developers. This new feature offers users the facility to create and manage Azure Entra app registrations directly from the popular Integrated Development Environment (IDE).
Developer Advantages
The integration provides developers access to a variety of resources, such as trial container types for app creation. Microsoft has made available sample applications to guide users of SharePoint Embedded services. As part of this introduction, the company has also provided a SharePoint Embedded Postman Collection, which consists of a series of pre-configured requests to facilitate interaction with the SharePoint Embedded REST API.
To utilize the SharePoint Embedded preview, developers must have administrative access rights to a Microsoft 365 tenancy. For those without such access, Microsoft suggests enrollment in the Microsoft 365 Developer Program to obtain a tenant. It is important to note that at present, SharePoint Embedded applications are not activated by default within tenant services. Tenant administrators are required to accept the terms of service and enable the settings within the SharePoint administration center.
Costs and Availability
During its public preview, SharePoint Embedded is a paid service where users are charged for storage, API transactions, and data transfer out of Microsoft's cloud. Microsoft describes it as a “pay as you go” service, contingent upon users having both an Azure subscription with administrative privileges and a connected Microsoft 365 tenancy. As part of the trial, containers provided to developers are set to be automatically purged after 30 days, indicating the service's non-readiness for production-level deployment.
SharePoint Embedded, previously referred to as “Syntex Repository Services,” has been in preview since November and is slated for general availability around the middle of 2024. The API allows for the creation of applications integrated with Microsoft 365's file and document storage features. While the primary target audience for SharePoint Embedded is independent software developers, Microsoft is also incorporating it into its products such as Loop and Designer solutions.
