Architecture
Workflows
Workflow Engine

Workflow Engine

Powerful workflow automation engine that enables complex business process automation with visual builders and AI-powered orchestration.

Workflow Automation

Create sophisticated automation workflows with visual builders, AI-powered orchestration, and real-time execution monitoring.

Visual Builder
AI Orchestration
Real-time Execution
Workflow Engine

Workflow Engine Architecture

Vistara's workflow engine provides a comprehensive platform for designing, executing, and monitoring automated workflows.

Engine Architecture Overview

Core Engine Components

Workflow Designer

  • Visual Builder: Drag-and-drop interface for workflow creation
  • Component Library: Pre-built workflow components and templates
  • Validation Engine: Real-time workflow validation and error checking
  • Version Control: Workflow versioning and change management

Execution Engine

  • Workflow Scheduler: Intelligent task scheduling and optimization
  • Task Executor: High-performance task execution engine
  • Resource Manager: Dynamic resource allocation and management
  • State Manager: Persistent workflow state and recovery

Integration Layer

  • API Gateway: Unified interface for external service integration
  • Service Connectors: Pre-built connectors for popular services
  • Data Transformers: Data transformation and mapping capabilities
  • Event Handlers: Event-driven workflow triggers and responses

Workflow Lifecycle

Complete Workflow Lifecycle

Workflow States and Transitions

Design Phase

  • Requirements Analysis: Understand workflow requirements and objectives
  • Process Mapping: Map existing business processes and workflows
  • Component Selection: Choose appropriate workflow components
  • Flow Design: Design workflow logic and decision points

Validation Phase

  • Syntax Validation: Check workflow syntax and structure
  • Logic Validation: Validate workflow logic and business rules
  • Integration Testing: Test workflow integration with external services
  • Performance Testing: Test workflow performance and scalability

Deployment Phase

  • Environment Setup: Prepare deployment environment
  • Resource Allocation: Allocate necessary system resources
  • Service Integration: Integrate with external services and APIs
  • Security Configuration: Configure security and access controls

Execution Phase

  • Task Scheduling: Schedule workflow tasks for execution
  • Resource Management: Manage computational and memory resources
  • Error Handling: Handle execution errors and exceptions
  • Performance Monitoring: Monitor workflow performance and health

Workflow Components

Core Workflow Components

Triggers

  • Time-based Triggers: Schedule-based workflow execution
  • Event Triggers: Event-driven workflow execution
  • Manual Triggers: User-initiated workflow execution
  • API Triggers: API-based workflow execution

Actions

  • Data Processing: Transform and process data
  • Service Calls: Call external services and APIs
  • Conditional Logic: Implement business logic and decisions
  • Looping: Repeat actions based on conditions

Connectors

  • Database Connectors: Connect to databases and data stores
  • API Connectors: Connect to REST and GraphQL APIs
  • File Connectors: Connect to file systems and cloud storage
  • Message Connectors: Connect to messaging systems

Transformers

  • Data Mapping: Map data between different formats
  • Data Validation: Validate data quality and integrity
  • Data Enrichment: Enhance data with additional information
  • Data Aggregation: Aggregate and summarize data

Advanced Components

AI-Powered Components

  • Intelligent Routing: AI-powered workflow routing decisions
  • Predictive Analytics: Predictive workflow optimization
  • Natural Language Processing: Process natural language inputs
  • Machine Learning: Learn from workflow execution patterns

Integration Components

  • Webhook Handlers: Handle incoming webhook requests
  • OAuth Connectors: Secure authentication and authorization
  • Rate Limiters: Manage API rate limits and quotas
  • Retry Logic: Implement intelligent retry mechanisms

Workflow Configuration

Workflow Configuration Schema

// workflow.config.js
module.exports = {
  workflow: {
    name: 'Customer Onboarding',
    version: '1.0.0',
    description: 'Automated customer onboarding workflow',
    category: 'customer-service'
  },
  
  triggers: {
    type: 'webhook',
    endpoint: '/webhook/customer-signup',
    method: 'POST',
    authentication: 'oauth2'
  },
  
  execution: {
    maxConcurrent: 10,
    timeout: '30m',
    retryAttempts: 3,
    retryDelay: '5m'
  },
  
  components: [
    {
      type: 'trigger',
      name: 'customer-signup',
      config: {
        webhook: '/webhook/customer-signup'
      }
    },
    {
      type: 'action',
      name: 'validate-customer',
      config: {
        service: 'customer-validation',
        timeout: '10s'
      }
    },
    {
      type: 'action',
      name: 'create-account',
      config: {
        service: 'account-creation',
        timeout: '15s'
      }
    },
    {
      type: 'action',
      name: 'send-welcome-email',
      config: {
        service: 'email-service',
        template: 'welcome-email'
      }
    }
  ],
  
  errorHandling: {
    retryOnFailure: true,
    maxRetries: 3,
    fallbackAction: 'notify-admin',
    errorNotifications: ['slack', 'email']
  },
  
  monitoring: {
    metrics: ['execution_time', 'success_rate', 'error_rate'],
    alerting: true,
    logging: 'structured',
    dashboards: true
  }
}

Environment Variables

# Workflow Configuration
WORKFLOW_NAME=customer-onboarding
WORKFLOW_VERSION=1.0.0
WORKFLOW_CATEGORY=customer-service
 
# Execution Settings
WORKFLOW_MAX_CONCURRENT=10
WORKFLOW_TIMEOUT=30m
WORKFLOW_RETRY_ATTEMPTS=3
 
# Error Handling
WORKFLOW_RETRY_ON_FAILURE=true
WORKFLOW_MAX_RETRIES=3
WORKFLOW_FALLBACK_ACTION=notify-admin
 
# Monitoring
WORKFLOW_ENABLE_MONITORING=true
WORKFLOW_ENABLE_ALERTING=true
WORKFLOW_LOG_LEVEL=info

Workflow Monitoring & Analytics

Performance Metrics

  • Execution Time: Time to complete workflow execution
  • Success Rate: Percentage of successful workflow executions
  • Error Rate: Percentage of failed workflow executions
  • Resource Usage: CPU, memory, and storage utilization

Monitoring Tools

# Workflow status
npm run status:workflows
 
# Performance monitoring
npm run monitor:workflows
 
# Execution logs
npm run logs:workflows
 
# Analytics
npm run analytics:workflows
 
# Health checks
npm run health:workflows

Getting Started

Create Your First Workflow

# Clone workflow templates
git clone https://github.com/vistara-labs/workflow-templates.git
cd workflow-templates
 
# Choose workflow type
cd customer-onboarding
 
# Install dependencies
npm install
 
# Configure workflow
cp config.example.js config.js
# Edit config.js with your settings
 
# Deploy workflow
npm run deploy

Workflow Development

# Start development mode
npm run dev
 
# Test workflow
npm run test
 
# Build workflow
npm run build
 
# Deploy workflow
npm run deploy

Learn More


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