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Discover & open apps

Find Products on the Polkadot Products Devnet and open them from the app, from Browse, or from a dev-dot.li link.

This is a devnet

The Polkadot Products Devnet is a public developer preview. Any tokens you hold here have no real value, and flows may change as the platform evolves.

Ways to reach a Product

There are three practical entry points:

  • Browse — the app-discovery directory at https://browse.dev-dot.li. Search and pick from the list.
  • A .dot name — each published app has a name such as survey.dot. You can type it into the Polkadot app's browser.
  • A dev-dot.li link — the web gateway serves each app at https://<name>.dev-dot.li (for example https://survey.dev-dot.li). Open it in an ordinary browser.

You reach the platform through the Polkadot app (mobile and desktop) or the web gateway at https://dev-dot.li. If you do not have the app yet, see Create an account & get funds for install links.

Find Products in Browse

Browse is a read-only directory of the apps currently published on the network.

  1. Open https://browse.dev-dot.li, or find Browse inside the Polkadot app.
  2. Use search and categories to narrow the list. Each app is shown with a name, description, and icon.
  3. Some cards carry certificate badges. Treat them as extra context, not as a reason to lower your caution on a devnet.
  4. Select a card to open the app.

Browse reads the Devnet publishing registry and the names attached to published apps. For the technical path behind that list, see Discovery architecture.

Open an app by .dot name

Inside the Polkadot app's browser you can go straight to a name:

  1. Type the app's name — for example survey.dot — into the address bar.
  2. The app resolves the name, fetches the app bundle, and opens it in a sandboxed webview.

If you are in an ordinary web browser instead, use the gateway form of the same name: https://survey.dev-dot.li.

Reference apps to try

These apps are deployed on the devnet and are a good starting point:

App Link
DotNS UI (manage .dot names) https://dotns.dev-dot.li
Simple Survey https://survey.dev-dot.li
Playground template https://playground-template.dev-dot.li
CDM Frontend (contracts) https://contracts.dev-dot.li

What happens when you open an app

When you open an app, the client turns the name into content and runs that content in an isolated container:

flowchart TD
  U[You open a .dot name] --> R[Resolve the name]
  R --> C[Find the published app bundle]
  C --> A[Fetch the app content]
  A --> S[Run in a sandboxed webview]
  S --> H[Ask the host for accounts, signing, chain, and payments]
  H -->|after your approval| K[Your keys stay on your device]

Two properties matter for you as a user:

  • The app is sandboxed. Each app runs in its own isolated webview and cannot read another app's data or reach your keys directly.
  • You approve every action. When an app needs a signature or a payment, the Polkadot app shows you a prompt, and the on-device key signs only after you approve. Your recovery phrase and private keys never leave your device.

Opening one app from another

Inside the Polkadot app, app-to-app navigation stays inside the host. In a plain browser, the same action opens the app's web-gateway link instead.

Learn more