Getting Started

After initial deployment and Entra ID configuration (see Setup Guide), most portal configuration can be done directly through the Admin Dashboard.

Accessing the Admin Dashboard

1. Sign in to the portal with an account that is a member of the Admin Group

2. Select Admin in the navigation menu

3. The admin portal uses an Intune-style left-rail navigation (v1.28.0+) that mirrors the Microsoft Intune admin center layout. A top-level Getting Started entry sits above four grouped sections. If you’ve used Intune, the structure should already feel familiar:

   Getting Started (top-level)

   • The guided Setup Wizard, reachable on day one, with a completion indicator that quiets once the essentials are configured (see Setup Wizard below).

   Apps

   • App Management, manage apps synced from Intune (visibility, approval workflows, deployment options, version rollback)
   • App Catalog, browse the public WinGet repository and publish apps to Intune. Its Catalog Settings panel holds catalog sourcing (repository URL, GitHub PAT, manifest-integrity verification, icon resolution) and storefront display (max featured apps, categories on home page, hero app)
   • App Upload, upload a custom .msi, .exe, or .zip installer for an app that isn’t in WinGet (see App Upload)
   • App Updates, track and deploy update versions for published apps with ring-based rollouts. Its Update Settings panel holds update cadence (automatic checking, interval, notifications, auto-deploy)

   Approvals

   • Pending Approvals, review and approve/reject requests

   Reports

   • Analytics, request volume, approval throughput, install outcomes, ROI calculator (with the help-desk cost-per-ticket input inline)
   • Store Health, operational metrics for the portal itself (request volume, deploy pipeline, error rates, latency)
   • Activity Log, full timeline of packaging jobs and update deployments

   Store Administration (one node per domain, replacing the retired Settings tab)

   • Permissions, admin, approver, user access, and request-on-behalf group assignments
   • Categories, category colors
   • Tags, tag colors
   • Branding, logo, favicon, brand colors, text, and the dark-mode theme toggle
   • Deployment, group name prefix and auto-create Entra ID groups
   • Integrations, the BI for Intune connection
   • Communications, company info, notification recipients, Terms of Service, per-event toggles
   • System, self-update and release channel, custom domain, and currency
   • License, PowerStacks license activation and entitlement status

   For a full map of where each setting lives, see Store Administration.

Setup Wizard

For first-time setup or to reconfigure the portal, use the Setup Wizard:

1. Select Getting Started in the admin left rail
2. Select the Setup Wizard button
3. Follow the guided steps:
   • Welcome - Overview of setup steps
   • License - Enter and validate your PowerStacks license key
   • Access Groups - Configure Admin and Approver Entra ID groups
   • Email Notifications - Set up email settings for notifications
   • Sync Apps - Import apps from your Intune tenant

The wizard saves your settings as you progress through each step. You can skip the wizard at any time and configure settings manually.

Note

The License step is required for the portal to be fully operational. Without a valid license, users will see warning banners and some features may be restricted.

Quick reference commands (shown in wizard completion):

Component	Command
API (includes packaging service)	cd src/AppRequestPortal.API && dotnet run
Web	cd src/AppRequestPortal.Web && npm start