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FluidGrids Overview

FluidGrids is the visual workflow automation platform on Burdenoff Workspaces.

It lets you build, run, and monitor sophisticated automation pipelines through an intuitive visual builder or via API. Whether you are orchestrating data flows, integrating systems, or building AI-powered automations, FluidGrids provides the tools to design, deploy, and scale your workflows.

What FluidGrids Does​

FluidGrids organizes automation around a small set of well-defined concepts:

  • Workflows — visual pipelines composed of nodes that process data and trigger actions
  • Nodes — reusable building blocks for integrations, transformations, AI operations, and control flow
  • Templates — pre-built workflow patterns you can customize and reuse
  • Runs — executions of a workflow with full traceability, logs, and retry capabilities
  • Credentials — securely stored authentication tokens and keys for external services

Core Concepts​

Workflows​

A workflow is a directed graph of nodes connected by edges. Workflows can be triggered manually, by webhooks, on schedules, or by system events. Each workflow supports versioning, so you can publish immutable releases while continuing to iterate in draft mode.

Nodes​

Nodes are the building blocks of workflows. FluidGrids ships with a rich library of built-in nodes covering:

  • Integrations — HTTP requests, databases, messaging, cloud services
  • Transformations — data mapping, filtering, aggregation
  • Control Flow — conditions, loops, merge strategies, error handling
  • AI/ML — LLM calls, embeddings, vector search, RAG pipelines
  • Utility — logging, delays, variable manipulation

You can also build custom nodes using the Node SDK and deploy them to your workspace.

Templates​

Templates are pre-built workflows for common use cases. They accelerate development by providing proven patterns for order-to-cash, data sync, ETL pipelines, approval flows, and more.

Runs​

A run is a single execution of a workflow. Runs capture:

  • Input data and context
  • Execution trace for every node
  • Output data at each step
  • Logs and error details
  • Duration and resource usage

Runs can be paused, resumed, cancelled, and retried.

Credentials​

Credentials securely store authentication material for external services. Supported types include API keys, OAuth tokens, database connection strings, and custom secrets. All credentials are encrypted at rest and scoped to a workspace.

Environment Selection​

FluidGrids defaults to the production environment. If you need local or alpha, set BURDENOFF_ENV before running any CLI command or SDK initialization:

export BURDENOFF_ENV=prod   # default — app.fluidgrids.com
export BURDENOFF_ENV=alpha  # alphaapp.fluidgrids.com
export BURDENOFF_ENV=local  # localhost:5173 / localhost:4003

All examples below assume prod (the default). Add BURDENOFF_ENV=local or BURDENOFF_ENV=alpha in front of any fluidgrids command or SDK setup if you are targeting a different environment.

Who FluidGrids Is For​

  • Business analysts and ops teams who want to automate processes without writing code
  • Developers who need to integrate systems and build custom automation logic
  • Data engineers who want visual ETL and data pipeline orchestration
  • AI/ML practitioners who want to embed LLMs and vector search into production workflows
  • Customers of Burdenoff Workspaces who want their automations to plug into the same identity, billing, RBAC, and audit fabric as the rest of their stack

What's Next​

  • Quick Start — build and run your first workflow in minutes
  • Core Concepts — deep dives into nodes, workflows, and templates
  • For Developers — SDKs, CLI, API reference, and custom node development