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Getting Started

Centrali turns webhooks into workflows, APIs, and searchable data. The core workflow is:

Receive -> Store -> React -> Send

Use Centrali to accept third-party events, persist them as records, run code with functions and triggers, and push outcomes back out through webhooks, notifications, or realtime streams.

Start Here

Pick the fastest route based on what you need right now:

If you need... Start here Why
Workspace setup, service accounts, and first credentials Account Setup Best first step when you need auth and workspace-slug basics
The fastest scaffolded path create-centrali-app Generates an app, SDK wiring, and .env setup quickly
A manual build walkthrough Quick Start Walks through a first API and SDK flow step by step
The product map Build Overview Explains how the main backend surfaces fit together
AI agent and MCP setup AI Agent Quick Start Best for Codex, Cursor, Claude, and MCP clients
Exact routes and payloads API Overview Use this when you need endpoint families and request shapes

Follow The Core Path

If you want to learn Centrali in the order most teams use it, follow these pages:

  1. Receive: Start with Webhook Ingestion to accept inbound events and verify signatures.
  2. Store: Continue to Collections & Records to persist payloads as durable application data.
  3. React: Move to Triggers and Functions to run code when data changes or requests arrive.
  4. Send: Finish with Outbound Webhooks when Centrali needs to notify downstream systems.

If you want the full map before you dive in, read Build Overview.

Core Concepts

These are the concepts you will see across the docs:

Workspace

Your isolated environment for data, functions, auth, and configuration. Most APIs are scoped by workspace slug.

Collections and Records

Collections define your data model. Records are the stored entries inside those collections.

Functions

Functions are the code units that implement your business logic and integrations.

Triggers

Triggers decide when functions run. They can react to record events, schedules, inbound HTTP traffic, or on-demand execution.

Automations

Automations are multi-step workflows for cases where one function is not enough.

Common Starting Paths

Webhook-Backed App

Use this path if an outside system is sending Centrali events:

  1. Account Setup
  2. Webhook Ingestion
  3. Collections & Records
  4. Triggers
  5. Outbound Webhooks

SDK-First App

Use this path if you are pairing Centrali with Next.js, React, Vue, or a custom frontend:

  1. create-centrali-app or Next.js Quick Start
  2. SDK Overview
  3. SDK Authentication
  4. Query Records

Bring Your Own Auth

Use this path if Centrali sits behind your existing identity provider:

  1. Authentication Overview
  2. External Auth (BYOT)
  3. Policies & Permissions

What You Can Build

Centrali fits best when your product needs one or more of these:

  • Webhook ingestion and durable event history
  • Internal tools and operational dashboards
  • SaaS backends with workspace isolation
  • Searchable record data with event-driven workflows
  • Realtime notifications and downstream webhook fanout

For end-to-end walkthroughs, see Examples.

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