IBM QRadar

Introduction

When submitting a QRadar app (extension) to the IBM Security / X-Force App Exchange, one of the required files is manifest.txt. This file contains important information about your extension, such as its ID, version, description, and other metadata.

The good news is that you don’t need to create this file manually from scratch. The App Exchange submission portal provides a convenient way to generate it. You can enter all the necessary metadata for your app directly in the portal, and then download the manifest.txt file using the link that appears in the help text.

Below, you’ll find step-by-step instructions with screenshots to guide you through the process.

1. Log in & Navigate to Submission Portal:

·      Go to the IBM / X-Force / App Exchange portal (https://apps.xforce.ibmcloud.com/) and log in with your IBM / Partner credentials.

Click on “Submission Portal” to start a new submission or edit an existing one

2. Fill in Extension Details (Section 2):

In the submission workflow, you’ll get to a step usually named “Extension Details” (or “Section 2: Extension Details”). Here, you must enter:

• Extension name
• Version
• Description
• Supported QRadar versions
• Publisher / contact info
• Any other required metadata fields

• It is always recommended to fill in all the necessary details, such as the short and long descriptions for your extension, to provide key information to users so they can understand the importance of your extension and make proper use of it:

3.      Support details:

Even after adding the basic details, the manifest.txt link remains disabled. When you hover over it, a message appears explaining that in order to enable the link, the submitter must also fill in the 'Support Label' and 'Support Contact' details

• Go to the Contact details which is located inside the 2^nd section “Extension Details” and fill the details:

• Once you fill in all the support details (such as Support Label and Support Contact), the manifest.txt download link will become active.
• To verify, go back to the “File” section in the submission portal and select the app Version. You will notice that the warning icon has disappeared, and the manifest.txt link is now clickable.
• If you haven’t uploaded the zip file before downloading the manifest.txt, the file might be blank

• Upload the zip file of your app or content pack.
• Simply click the link to download the manifest.txt file.

• Finally, after downloading the manifest.txt file, you will see something like the screenshot shown below.

Summary:

In this blog, we explored how to generate the manifest.txt file required for submitting QRadar apps or content packs to the IBM Security / App Exchange. We walked through the submission portal step by step, covering how to log in, enter extension details, provide support information, and upload the app zip file. We also highlighted why filling in all the metadata fields (like app name, version, description, and support details) is important, as the manifest.txt link will only become active once these are completed. Finally, we looked at what the manifest.txt file contains and how it appears once downloaded.

Written by: Pratik Surela (@Pratik Surela)
Reviewed by: Ashish Kothekar (@ASHISH KOTHEKAR)

For any queries, feel free to reach out to us at pratik.surela@ibm.com or ashish.kothekar@in.ibm.com