Introduction

FlowLayer is a local development orchestrator.

It launches host processes from a single config, computes deterministic startup waves, and manages lifecycle from boot to shutdown.

What FlowLayer is not

• Not Kubernetes.
• Not a production process supervisor.
• Not Docker-aware.

FlowLayer can run commands that call Docker or other tools, but it does not manage containers as a first-class runtime.

Architecture at a glance

FlowLayer uses two separate binaries:

• FlowLayer server (flowlayer-server): runtime source of truth for service state, orchestration, and logs.
• Official TUI client (flowlayer-client-tui): external client that observes runtime state and sends commands.

The server owns runtime truth. The TUI owns presentation and user interaction.

Session API model

• The HTTP API is available only when a session bind is enabled.
• Runtime interactions are command/event messages over WebSocket, not REST actions.
• Current HTTP surface is intentionally small: GET /health and GET /ws (WebSocket upgrade), both protected by Bearer token auth.

See HTTP API Overview and Protocol Overview.

How to use these docs

• Start with Installation.
• Run your first local stack in First Stack.
• Understand role boundaries in Server and TUI Modes.
• For command and message contracts, continue in Protocol Overview, Logs, and Actions.