Key Concepts & Terminology
Core concepts to understand crucial areas around Fastn
This page defines the core terms used throughout Fastn's platform and documentation. If you encounter an unfamiliar term while reading other pages, come back here.
Customers (alternatively called "Tenants")
Each customer gets an isolated environment with their own credentials, integrations, data, and execution history in the form of a tenant. In Fastn, the platform calls them Customers (found under Settings → Customers).
Customer isolation is enforced at the database level using Row-Level Security (RLS). A customer's data is invisible to other customers.
Diagram needed: Your organization at the top, two or three customers below, each with their own credentials, data, and executions in separate boxes.
Connectors
A pre-built or custom integration with a third-party app. You manage connectors under Integrations → Connectors.
Each connector defines:
Authentication method — Consists of 6 types: No Auth, Basic Auth, Bearer Token, API Key, OAuth 2.0, or Custom
Actions — operations you can perform (create a contact, fetch orders, send a message)
Events — webhook events you can subscribe to (new order created, contact updated)
Creating connectors
There are two ways to create a connector, either method can work:
+ Create — manually fill in Name, Slug, Description, Domain, Visibility, Icon URL, and Auth Methods
Build with AI — describe what you need and the Connector Agent discovers the API, builds actions, sets up events, and tests everything
Screenshot needed: Create Connector dialog showing Name, Slug, Description, Domain, Visibility, Icon URL, Auth Methods fields.
Connections
A connection is an authenticated instance of a connector. When you (or your customer) authorize an app through OAuth or provide an API key, that creates a connection. This is managed under Integrations → Connections.
One connector (e.g., HubSpot) can have multiple connections i.e. your test connection plus each customer's connection.
Workflows
An automated process written in JavaScript/TypeScript. Each workflow is a code file (workflow.js) that exports a default async function receiving a context object (ctx).
You manage workflows under Integrations → Workflows.
Workflow configuration
When creating a workflow, you configure:
Name
Workflow identifier
Description
What the workflow does
Execution Tier
Instant (sync, max 60s), Standard (async), or Long (extended)
Execution Timeout
Max time before timeout. Range: 1s–2min for Instant tier.
Retry Policy
Toggle on/off. Configures automatic retry on failure.
Screenshot needed: Workflow editor showing the Configuration panel (left), code editor (center), and Test panel (right).
Workflow status
active
Workflow is deployed and can be triggered
inactive
Workflow exists but is not processing triggers
Execution
A single run of a workflow. Every execution is logged under Activity → Executions with these columns:
Time
When it ran (relative: "17h ago", "1d ago")
Workflow
Which workflow executed
Tier
Execution tier badge (INSTANT, STANDARD, LONG)
Version
Workflow version (v1, v2, etc.)
Status
Result: Running, Completed, Failed, Timeout
Duration
How long it took (79ms, 2.1s)
Triggered By
What started it (agent-service, webhook, scheduler, manual)
Screenshot needed: Activity → Executions page showing the execution table with all columns.
Triggers
Triggers are what start workflows. They're managed as a separate section under Integrations → Triggers not inside the workflow editor. You create a trigger, then route it to one or more workflows.
Three trigger types:
Webhook
Receives events from external services via HTTP POST. Supports routes with JSON filters to direct payloads to different workflows.
Scheduler
Triggers workflows on a schedule. Presets: Interval, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Custom.
App Event
Subscribes to events from connectors (HubSpot, GitHub, Stripe). Select a connector, connection, and event to listen for.
The Triggers page has three tabs: Webhooks | Schedulers | App Events
Screenshot needed: Integrations → Triggers page showing the three tabs and the Add Trigger type selection panel.
Webhook routes
A single webhook trigger can route to multiple workflows. Each route has:
A target workflow (selected from dropdown)
Optional JSON filters that control which payloads trigger which route
Optional headers (key-value pairs)
Screenshot needed: Webhook trigger configuration showing Routes with workflow dropdown and filter fields.
Canonical Data Model (CDM)
Fastn's universal data format which consists of six standard entities i.e. Contact, Product, Order, Invoice, InventoryLevel, Fulfillment — with consistent field names and types.
When data moves between connectors, Fastn maps it through the CDM. A "customer" in Shopify becomes a CDMContact. That same CDMContact can map to a "contact" in HubSpot or a "client" in Xero.
Authentication methods
Six auth methods are available when creating connectors:
No Auth
Public APIs that don't require authentication
Basic Auth
Username/password pair
Bearer Token
Token-based auth sent in Authorization header
API Key
Key sent in a custom header (e.g., X-API-Key)
OAuth 2.0
User authorizes via the app's login screen. Fastn manages token refresh.
Custom
App-specific auth that doesn't fit standard patterns
Screenshot needed: Auth Methods dropdown in the Create Connector dialog showing all 6 options.
Platform navigation
The Fastn dashboard uses top navigation with four main sections:
Home
—
Setup Assistants (AI-guided onboarding), setup checklist
Integrations
Connectors, Connections, Workflows, Triggers
Build and manage everything
Activity
Events, Traces, Alerts, Executions
Monitor and debug
Settings
People, General, API Keys, Secrets, Environments, OAuth Apps, Billing, Customers, Audit Log, ADVANCED → Roles
Configure the platform
Home
The first thing you see after login. Shows the Setup Assistants — a 5-step guided onboarding powered by AI agents:
Research your SaaS (~1 min, automatic)
Set up your connector (~5 min)
Build the integration (~10 min)
Configure widget (coming soon)
Setup complete
The right sidebar shows YOUR SETUP progress and AFTER YOUR FIRST CUSTOMER CONNECTS with locked advanced features (Pricing tiers, Real-time events, OAuth configuration, Custom domain, Workflow templates).
📷Screenshot needed: Home page showing the Setup Assistants panel with the research output and the right sidebar checklist.
Roles
Six system roles control access. Found under Settings → ADVANCED → Roles:
Owner
39
Full access within organization and customers
Admin
39
Full access within organization and customers
Developer
34
Build connectors, workflows, agents
Operator
18
Operational access
Viewer
7
Read-only access
End User
9
Customer-facing widget access
Permission categories: Connectors, Connections, Workflows, Agents, Tools. Each has granular actions: create, read, update, delete, execute, deploy test, deploy prod, share.
You can also create custom roles by clicking "Create Custom Role" or duplicating a system role with "Duplicate as Custom."
Screenshot needed: Settings → ADVANCED → Roles page showing the 6 system roles with permission counts.
API Keys
Two types of API keys, managed under Settings → API Keys:
Test
For development and testing
Live
For production use
Create keys with "+ Create API Key". Keys authenticate API requests via the x-fastn-api-key header.
Secrets
Encrypted values your workflows can read at runtime. Managed under Settings → Secrets. Use these for sensitive credentials like third-party API tokens or database connection strings.
Environments
Deployment environments for workflows. Managed under Settings → Environments. Separate your development, staging, and production configurations.
Alerts
Metric-based alert rules configured under Activity → Alerts. Each alert has:
Name — e.g., "High Error Rate"
Condition — one of: error rate, latency p99, latency p95, latency avg, throughput, failure count
Threshold — the value that triggers the alert (e.g., 5 for 5% error rate)
Next: Platform Overview →
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