Why (and How) to Contribute to the Liferay Marketplace

If you've built reusable solutions for Liferay (modules, fragments, client extensions, object models) and they're sitting in private repositories or being copied from project to project, you might be overlooking something important.

The Liferay Marketplace isn't just a download site. It's the official platform where apps and solutions are discovered, evaluated, and adopted across the Liferay ecosystem. And for developers, consultants, and partners, it represents something more powerful: visibility, credibility, and opportunity.

Publishing to Marketplace isn't about "throwing code over the wall." It's about positioning your work as a product.

Let's talk about why that matters.

Marketplace Has Evolved, And So Has the Opportunity

Many developers still think of Marketplace as a place for traditional OSGi modules. That used to be largely true.

Today, it supports a much broader range of contributions. In addition to DXP Apps, you can publish Client Extensions, Low-Code Configurations, Composite Apps, Cloud Apps, and even full business Solutions.

That shift is significant.

Client Extensions allow you to extend Liferay without modifying core modules. Low-code configurations let you package fragments, datasets, and object definitions. Composite apps combine multiple layers into a single deliverable. In other words, Marketplace now mirrors the modern Liferay architecture.

If you're building for SaaS, PaaS, or self-hosted environments, there's a supported path to distribute that work.

Why Publish? Because Visibility Compounds

The most immediate benefit of becoming a publisher is visibility.

When you publish an app, it becomes discoverable inside the official Marketplace. More importantly, you receive a public publisher page that displays your company name, logo, description, published apps, and a direct contact form.

That page is effectively a storefront.

For consultants and agencies, this becomes a public portfolio. For product teams, it becomes a distribution channel. For independent developers, it becomes proof that you can build production-grade Liferay extensions.

Anyone can claim expertise. A published Marketplace app demonstrates it.

And over time, that visibility compounds. One app leads to another. One download leads to a conversation. One conversation leads to a project.

Marketplace as Proof of Expertise

Publishing forces a higher standard.

You must define your app clearly. Document it. Version it. Provide support information. Decide whether it's free or paid. Submit it for review. The Marketplace team evaluates submissions before approval.

That structure is valuable.

It moves your work from "internal utility" to "product." It requires discipline around packaging and presentation. And once approved, it signals to customers that your app meets Marketplace standards.

In an ecosystem where credibility matters, that's powerful.

Monetization Is Built In

Marketplace supports both free and paid apps. If you choose to monetize, you can define pricing, licensing type (perpetual or subscription), and even offer a 30-day trial.

Paid DXP apps use license keys that customers generate and deploy to activate the product. That infrastructure is already handled for you.

This means you don't have to build your own licensing system, distribution pipeline, or payment flow.

You focus on the product.

Whether you start with free apps to build reputation or move directly into commercial offerings depends on your strategy. But the capability is there.

What Can You Publish, Really?

This is where things get interesting.

Traditional DXP Apps (module-based extensions that modify or enhance Liferay behavior) are still supported. These are ideal for deep integrations and on-premise deployments.

But modern Liferay development has expanded beyond modules.

Client Extensions allow you to extend Liferay through headless APIs without deploying OSGi modules. This is especially important for SaaS environments, where extension models differ from traditional self-hosted deployments.

Low-code configurations open another door. You can package fragments, datasets, and object definitions as distributable apps. For example, object definitions can be exported, packaged as Client Extensions, and published in Marketplace.

That means you can publish:

• Industry-specific data models

• Pre-configured business objects

• Vertical accelerators

• Reusable content structures

This isn't just developer territory anymore. Business-focused configurations can be productized.

Composite Apps go even further, combining modules, client extensions, and low-code elements into a unified solution. For enterprise teams building larger accelerators, this is particularly compelling.

And if you're a Liferay partner, you can publish full Solutions: curated storefront listings designed for broader business offerings.

The point is: the Marketplace supports the full spectrum of modern Liferay customization.

Becoming a Publisher Is Straightforward

To publish, you first request publisher access. Becoming a publisher is free, but it requires submitting an application with relevant details and receiving approval from a Marketplace administrator.

Once approved, you gain access to the Publisher Dashboard, where you can create and manage listings.

The full step-by-step instructions are available in the official documentation, and there's no need to reproduce them here. What matters is understanding that the barrier to entry is low, but the impact can be high.

Treat Your Work Like a Product

Here's where the strategic mindset comes in.

Many teams build internal accelerators: reusable fragments, workflow actions, integration connectors, object models. They reuse them across projects but never formalize them.

Marketplace gives you a way to:

• Standardize those accelerators

• Version them properly

• Document them clearly

• Distribute them widely

Instead of rebuilding the same solution for each client, you publish it once and refine it over time.

Instead of keeping your expertise hidden inside contracts, you make it visible to the ecosystem.

Marketplace is not just distribution. It's reputation.

Final Thoughts

The Liferay Marketplace supports modern app types, flexible monetization, and multiple deployment models. Becoming a publisher is free. The review process ensures quality.

If you're already building reusable solutions, the technical lift to publish is often smaller than you think.

The real shift isn't technical.

It's conceptual.

It's deciding that your reusable Liferay solutions aren't just project artifacts, they're products worth sharing.

To learn more, check out the official Liferay documentation at https://learn.liferay.com/w/dxp/development/marketplace. Have questions? Find me on discuss.liferay.com or drop in on my bi-weekly "Ask Me Anything" sessions.