Why FlowPanel
Decide whether an embedded, schema-aware admin is the right fit for your application.
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 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. If you need to understand the runtime boundary first, read How FlowPanel works. Before deployment, use the Production readiness checklist as the canonical review of ownership, security, scaling, and release responsibilities.