Core Components

Kinesis API is built around a set of core components that work together to provide a complete API development and management solution. Understanding these components is essential for effectively using the platform.

Architecture Overview

At a high level, Kinesis API's architecture consists of:

1. User Management System - Controls access and permissions
2. Projects & Collections - Organizes your API resources
3. Data Management - Stores and manipulates your application data
4. API Routes - Exposes functionality through RESTful endpoints
5. Supporting Systems - Provides additional functionality like events, media handling, and more

These components interact through the custom Kinesis DB database system and are exposed via both the web interface and API endpoints.

Key Components

Configs

The configuration system allows you to control how Kinesis API operates. This includes settings for:

• Environment variables
• SMTP settings for email
• Security parameters
• API endpoint behavior

Configs can be set during initial setup and modified later through the admin interface.

Constraints

Constraints define rules and validations that maintain data integrity across your API. They enforce:

• Data type validations
• Required fields
• Value ranges and patterns
• Relationship integrity
• Business rules

Proper constraint management ensures your API behaves predictably and data remains valid.

Users

The user management system controls access to your Kinesis API instance. It includes:

• User accounts with varying permission levels
• Role-based access control (ROOT, ADMIN, AUTHOR, VIEWER)
• Personal Access Tokens for API authentication
• User profiles with customizable information

User management is critical for security and collaboration in multi-user environments.

Projects

Projects are the top-level organizational units in Kinesis API. They allow you to:

• Group related APIs and resources
• Separate concerns between different applications
• Manage permissions at a high level
• Create logical boundaries between different parts of your system

Each project can contain multiple collections, structures, and routes.

Collections

Collections are containers for data records of a specific type. They:

• Organize your data into logical groups
• Provide CRUD operations for data manipulation
• Apply structure definitions to ensure data consistency
• Enable efficient data retrieval and manipulation

Collections are the primary way you'll interact with data in Kinesis API.

Structures

Structures define the schema for your data. They:

• Specify fields and their data types
• Apply validation rules through constraints
• Support nested and complex data models
• Allow for custom structures with specialized behavior

Structures ensure your data follows a consistent format and meets your application's requirements.

Data

The data component provides interfaces for working with your stored information:

• Creating, reading, updating, and deleting records
• Querying and filtering data
• Importing and exporting datasets
• Managing relationships between records

Efficient data management is essential for building performant APIs.

Routes

Routes are the endpoints that expose your API functionality:

• Created through the visual X Engine or programmatically
• Define how requests are processed and responses are formed
• Support various HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.)
• Include the Playground for testing API behavior

Routes are the primary way external applications interact with your Kinesis API.

Events

The event system tracks important activities and changes:

• Records system actions and user operations
• Provides an audit trail for security and debugging

Events give you visibility into what's happening within your API.

Media

The media component handles file uploads and management:

• Stores images, documents, and other file types
• Offers integration with API responses

Media management allows your API to work with files and binary data.

REPL

The Read-Eval-Print Loop provides a command-line interface to interact with your API:

• Execute commands directly against your database
• Test operations without using the web interface
• Perform advanced data manipulations

The REPL is a powerful tool for developers and administrators.

How Components Work Together

A typical workflow in Kinesis API might look like:

1. Setup: Configure the system with appropriate settings
2. Organization: Create projects to organize your work
3. Data Modeling: Define structures and custom structures
4. Storage: Create collections to group your data
5. API Creation: Build routes to expose functionality
6. Testing: Use the playground to verify behavior
7. Deployment: Make your API available to users
8. Monitoring: Track events and system performance

Understanding how these components interact is key to making the most of Kinesis API's capabilities.

Next Steps

To dive deeper into each component, follow the links to their dedicated documentation pages. A good starting point is understanding Users and Projects, as these form the foundation for most other operations in the system.