Glossary

A

Actor : A fundamental unit of computation in Reflow that processes messages and can create other actors, send messages, or designate behavior for the next message.

Actor Model : A mathematical model of concurrent computation that treats actors as the universal primitives of concurrent computation.

API : Application Programming Interface - A set of protocols and tools for building software applications.

C

Component : A reusable unit of functionality in Reflow that can be connected to other components to build workflows.

Connection : A link between two components that allows data or control flow to pass from one component to another.

Concurrent Computation : Multiple computations executing at the same time, potentially interacting with each other.

D

Deno : A secure runtime for JavaScript and TypeScript built on V8, Chrome's JavaScript engine.

Deployment : The process of releasing and configuring a Reflow application to run in a production environment.

E

Edge : In graph terminology, a connection between two nodes (components) that represents data or control flow.

Event : A signal or message that indicates something has happened in the system.

F

Flow-Based Programming (FBP) : A programming paradigm that defines applications as networks of "black box" processes exchanging data across predefined connections.

G

Graph : A data structure consisting of nodes (vertices) and edges that represent the connections between them. In Reflow, graphs represent workflows.

GraphQL : A query language and runtime for APIs that provides a complete description of data in your API.

I

Inport : An input connection point on a component that receives data or control signals.

Initial Information Packet (IIP) : A data packet that provides initial values to component inputs at the start of execution.

M

Message : A unit of communication between actors containing data and metadata.

Message Passing : The primary means of communication between actors, where information is sent via discrete messages.

Metadata : Data that provides information about other data, such as component properties or connection details.

N

Node : In graph terminology, a vertex that represents a component or processing unit in a workflow.

Network : A collection of connected components that form a complete workflow or application.

O

Outport : An output connection point on a component that sends data or control signals to other components.

P

Port : A connection point on a component, either an inport (input) or outport (output).

Process : A running instance of a component that can receive and send messages.

Protocol : A set of rules that define how actors communicate with each other.

R

ReactFlow : A library for building node-based editors and interactive diagrams with React.

Runtime : The execution environment where Reflow applications run, including the JavaScript/Deno runtime.

S

Serialization : The process of converting data structures or objects into a format that can be stored or transmitted.

Subgraph : A subset of a larger graph that can be treated as a single component.

T

TypeScript : A strongly typed programming language that builds on JavaScript by adding static type definitions.

Trait : A characteristic or property that defines the behavior or type of a port or component.

V

Visual Editor : A graphical user interface that allows users to create and modify workflows by dragging and dropping components.

W

WebAssembly (WASM) : A binary instruction format for a stack-based virtual machine, designed to be fast and portable.

Workflow : A sequence of connected components that process data or perform tasks in a specific order.

Web Worker : A JavaScript API that allows web pages to run scripts in background threads separate from the main execution thread.