FlowPanel is for teams that already have a Next.js application and need a reliable internal interface without building the common admin plumbing from scratch.

## The problem it solves

An admin usually repeats information the application already knows: tables, row types, validation, database access, authentication, and deployment. FlowPanel connects those pieces through a typed config and provides the list, form, drawer, action, dashboard, import, queue, and realtime workflows around them.

The schema is a starting point, not permission to expose everything. Only resources and fields named in config appear in the admin.

## What stays in your application

FlowPanel runs inside the host Next.js process. Your repository owns the config and routes; your database client executes queries; your auth provider creates the session; and your deployment serves the UI and API. There is no separate control plane receiving database credentials or application rows.

This also means production concerns remain yours: authorization, tenant scope, migrations, observability, scaling the SSE publisher, and testing custom UI.

## How far customization goes

Most changes stay declarative: choose fields, format values, add actions, arrange widgets, or override design tokens. A renderer handles a special value. A custom widget or page handles a composed workflow. Theme slots replace shared visual primitives.

If config is no longer the right abstraction, `flowpanel eject` writes a resource, dashboard, or layout into the application. The generated source becomes yours and no longer receives FlowPanel behavior changes automatically. See [Choose an extension point](/docs/customization/overview) before ejecting.

## When another tool is a better fit

Choose something else when you need a hosted no-code admin, a frontend outside Next.js, Pages Router support, a broad catalog of REST or GraphQL data providers, or an unsupported database without maintaining an adapter. FlowPanel also should not replace a purpose-built product workflow merely because both interfaces can edit the same records.

If the fit is right, continue with [Getting started](/docs/introduction/getting-started). If you need to understand the runtime boundary first, read [How FlowPanel works](/docs/understand/how-flowpanel-works). Before deployment, use the [Production readiness checklist](/docs/guides/production-readiness) as the canonical review of ownership, security, scaling, and release responsibilities.