> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.jinba.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Core Concepts

> Essential terminology and concepts for understanding Jinba Flow

Understanding these core concepts will help you build effective workflows in Jinba Flow.

## Key Terms

| Term          | Definition                                                  | Example                                                                                                |
| ------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Flow**      | A workflow that connects multiple Steps with dependencies   | Email received → AI summarizes → Slack notification. This refers to the entire sequence of processing. |
| **Step**      | An individual unit of processing that makes up a Flow       | Each individual process like receiving email, AI summarization, Slack notification.                    |
| **Tool**      | A component that performs a specific action                 | AI models, API integrations, file processing                                                           |
| **Secrets**   | Securely stored sensitive values                            | API keys, OAuth tokens                                                                                 |
| **Workspace** | A space to organize your Flows, Secrets, and team resources | Project workspace                                                                                      |

The diagram below shows how these concepts relate to each other:

* A single **Workspace** can be shared by multiple **Accounts**, and one Account can belong to several Workspaces.
* Each Workspace contains one or more **Flows**, and every Flow is composed of ordered **Steps**.
* Each Step implements its functionality through exactly one **Tool**.
* **Secrets** live at the Workspace level, but the same Secret can be reused across multiple Flows and Steps inside that Workspace.
* Secrets are how Steps reach **External Services** (APIs, OAuth integrations) without exposing credentials in flow definitions.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/carnot/9TM0id_SlhFf_kG5/en/pages/basics/images/core-concepts/core-concepts-relation.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=9TM0id_SlhFf_kG5&q=85&s=b626de23006fb3c761079d56ca934d70" alt="Relationship between Flow, Step, and Tool" style={{ width: '100%', borderRadius: '8px', margin: '32px 0' }} width="1880" height="918" data-path="en/pages/basics/images/core-concepts/core-concepts-relation.png" />

## What's Next?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Workflow Creation Overview" icon="book" href="./overview">
    Learn about the three ways to create workflows
  </Card>

  <Card title="Chat Panel" icon="comments" href="./chat">
    Create workflows using natural language
  </Card>
</CardGroup>