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Core Concepts

Understand the fundamental building blocks of TopFlow. Learn how workflows, nodes, connections, and validation work together to create secure AI applications.

These concepts form the foundation of everything in TopFlow. Understanding them will help you build more effective and secure workflows.
Workflows
Core Concept
The high-level orchestration of AI operations

A workflow is a directed graph that defines how data flows through your AI application. Each workflow has a clear beginning (entry points), transformation steps (processing nodes), and endpoints (outputs).

Key Characteristics:

  • Directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) - Data flows in one direction without cycles
  • Visual representation - See your entire AI pipeline at a glance
  • Version controlled - Track changes and revert to previous versions
  • Exportable to code - Generate production-ready TypeScript
Learn more about Workflows
Nodes
Core Concept
Individual units of computation in your workflow

Nodes are the building blocks of workflows. Each node performs a specific task: calling an AI model, transforming data, making API requests, or controlling flow logic.

AI Nodes

  • • Text Model
  • • Image Generation
  • • Embedding
  • • Audio

Data Nodes

  • • Prompt Template
  • • JavaScript
  • • Structured Output
  • • HTTP Request

Control Nodes

  • • Conditional
  • • Start
  • • End
  • • Tool
Explore all node types
Connections & Data Flow
Core Concept
How data moves between nodes in your workflow

Connections define the data flow between nodes. They determine execution order, pass outputs as inputs, and enable complex branching logic.

Connection Types:

SequentialOutput of Node A becomes input of Node B
ConditionalData flows based on true/false conditions
MultipleMultiple inputs can feed into a single node
Deep dive into connections
Security Validation
Core Concept
Built-in security checks for every workflow

Every workflow is automatically validated against 12 security rules before execution. This ensures your AI applications follow security best practices from day one.

Validation Categories:

Structural Checks

  • • Cycle detection
  • • Orphaned nodes
  • • Missing endpoints

Security Checks

  • • SSRF prevention
  • • Input sanitization
  • • API key validation
Workflows with validation errors cannot be executed. This is a security feature, not a bug.
View all validation rules
Ready to put these concepts into practice?
Now that you understand the core concepts, try building your first workflow.
Quick Start Guide
Build your first workflow in 5 minutes
Step-by-Step Tutorials
Learn through hands-on examples
Complete Node Reference
Explore all 12 node types in detail
Security Validations
Understand all 12 security rules