> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex-xdr-5.x/detect-investigate-and-respond-to-threats/asset-management/asset-configurations/application-criteria.md).

# Application criteria

You can define and group assets into applications using two primary methods:

* **New Application:** **Manually build an application** by selecting starting assets from either the **code side** (VCS repositories) or the **run side** (cloud providers, Kubernetes clusters, or VPCs). Cortex XDR automatically identifies and adds related assets based on their connections.
* **New Criteria:** Automatically create and maintain applications in bulk by defining dynamic rules. You can base these criteria on **Cloud tags** (such as AWS tags grouping assets within a single provider), or **VCS entities** (automatically generating applications based on your code hierarchy, such as GitHub organizations or repositories).

Go to **Inventory** → **Assets** → **Configurations** → **Application Criteria** to add a new application or new criteria.

For more information, see: [Defining Business Applications](/application-security/application-security-posture-management-aspm/applications/defining-business-applications.md).


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