Core Concepts
Workflow Lifecycle
Info
Every automation in Exekra moves through the same lifecycle from authoring to execution. The diagram below shows the path a workflow takes from idea to result.
Workflow
Created in Studio
Draft
Edited and saved
Version
Numbered snapshot
Published Release
Promoted to active
Trigger
Fires the execution
Execution
Tracked by the Hub
Runner
Performs the work
Concepts
The objects below appear throughout Exekra. Each plays a defined role in the lifecycle above.
Workflow
The automation process you build in Studio. It contains the activities, decisions, and logic required to complete a business task. Internally stored as a directed graph of activities.
Activity
The individual building block of a workflow. Examples include Click, Read Excel, Send Email, and API Request.
Draft
An unpublished workflow version. Drafts are editable, can be saved repeatedly, and are not executed by triggers.
Version
A numbered snapshot of a workflow's graph definition. Each save creates a new version. All versions are retained for audit.
Release (Publishing)
Promotes the latest draft to a published version. Only one version per workflow can be published at a time. Published versions are immutable.
Environment
Deployment stages for workflow promotion (Development, Staging, Production), achieved by deploying separate Hub instances or by Runner labeling.
Trigger
Defines how a workflow execution is initiated: Manual (user or API), Schedule (cron expression), or Webhook (external HTTP POST).
Execution
A single run of a published workflow version on a specific Runner. Tracked by the Hub from queuing through completion.
Queue
Temporary holding area for execution requests waiting to be assigned to a Runner. Managed by the Hub via Redis (BullMQ).
Hub
Central orchestration service that stores workflows, manages Runners, schedules executions, and provides monitoring.
Runner
A registered execution agent that performs the automated work on a machine inside your environment.
Execution and Runner statuses
Execution status
Runner status
Example: Invoice Processing
Example
The lifecycle in practice
- Workflow
- Invoice Processing
- Draft
- Designer adds activities
- Version
- Saved as Version 12
- Release
- Version 12 published
- Trigger
- Daily at 6:00 PM
- Execution
- Run #5842 created
- Runner
- Runner-Finance executes it
How it all fits together
Create a workflow
Open Studio and start a new automation.
Save drafts while editing
Continue iterating; drafts capture incremental work without being executable.
Publish a version
Promote the latest draft so triggers can run it.
Configure triggers
Set a schedule, webhook, or manual run rule.
Hub creates executions
Triggers fire execution requests that the Hub queues.
Runner performs the work
An available Runner picks up the execution and runs it inside your environment.
Results are stored and monitored
Logs, status, and metrics are available in the Hub dashboard for audit.
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