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Frequently Asked Questions

General​

What is Fascia?​

Fascia is a platform that lets you build production backend systems without writing code. You describe your business logic through structured specifications (Entities, Tools, Policies), and Fascia generates a fully functional backend — database, APIs, authentication, and more — deployed to your own Google Cloud project.

What does "BYOC" mean?​

BYOC (Bring Your Own Cloud) means all your data and runtime infrastructure live in your own Google Cloud project. Fascia never stores or processes your business data. The Fascia platform only stores your design specifications and deployment metadata. Your customer data, database, and API endpoints all run in your own cloud environment.

Is there AI involved at runtime?​

No. Fascia uses AI only during the design phase — in Chat Studio, where it helps you translate your ideas into structured specifications. Once deployed, your backend runs on a deterministic execution engine with no AI calls. Every API request follows the same predictable Execution Contract, every time.

What are the free tier limits?​

During the current free tier, each account has the following limits:

  • 10 Entities (business objects like Reservation, Customer, etc.)
  • 20 Tools (API endpoints, scheduled jobs, webhook handlers)
  • 1 GCP project connection
  • 1 workspace

Need more? Contact us to discuss your requirements.

Getting Started​

Do I need a Google Cloud account?​

Yes, you need a GCP project to deploy your backend. Fascia provisions Cloud Run, Cloud SQL, and other resources in your project. If you don't have one yet, you can create a free GCP account — Google offers $300 in free credits for new accounts.

Can I try Fascia without connecting GCP?​

Yes! You can design Entities and Tools in Chat Studio and Flow Studio without a GCP connection. You can also review risk analysis and preview your specs. GCP is only needed when you're ready to deploy.

How do I use templates?​

When you first log in, Fascia offers template options to help you get started quickly:

  1. Click Start with Template on the welcome screen
  2. Choose a template (e.g., Booking System)
  3. The template pre-loads a set of Entities and Tools into your workspace
  4. You can then customize them in Chat Studio or Flow Studio

How long does it take to deploy?​

A typical first deployment takes 2-5 minutes. This includes provisioning the database, deploying the execution engine, and running database migrations. Subsequent deployments are faster since the infrastructure is already in place.

Design & Building​

What's the difference between an Entity and a Tool?​

  • Entity = your data model. Think of it as a database table with extra features — a status lifecycle, business rules (invariants), and access controls.
  • Tool = your backend logic. It's what happens when someone calls an API — read data, write data, send emails, process payments, etc. Each Tool is made up of a flow graph that defines the steps.

What does Yellow risk mean?​

The Risk Engine classifies every Tool as Green, Yellow, or Red:

  • Green — Safe to deploy. All writes are in transactions, no raw SQL, no unbounded queries.
  • Yellow — Deployable with acknowledgment. There are potential concerns (e.g., an external API call without retry, a payment operation). You'll see what the concern is and must acknowledge it before deploying.
  • Red — Blocked. There's a serious safety issue (e.g., missing transaction boundary, unbounded update). You must fix it before deployment.

Can I use custom code?​

Not in the traditional sense. Fascia's execution is spec-driven — you design logic visually using flow nodes (Read, Write, Transform, If/Switch, etc.) rather than writing code. For computed values and conditions, you use the Value DSL, a restricted expression language with no side effects.

This is intentional: deterministic execution means your backend is predictable, auditable, and safe by design.

How do I add authentication to my API?​

Fascia includes a built-in authentication system. When you deploy, your backend automatically gets:

  • User registration and login (email + password)
  • Social login (Google, Apple, Kakao)
  • JWT tokens (access + refresh)
  • Role-based access (admin, staff, customer, or custom roles)
  • Row-level access (users see only their own data)

No setup required — it's part of every deployment.

Deployment​

What happens when deployment fails?​

If a deployment fails:

  1. Check the error message on the Deploy page — it usually indicates what went wrong
  2. Common causes: GCP permissions issues, database migration conflicts, invalid spec
  3. Fix the issue and try deploying again
  4. Previous deployments are not affected — failed deployments don't overwrite what's already running

How do I roll back?​

If something goes wrong with a new deployment, you can redeploy a previous version. Go to the Deploy page, find the last successful deployment, and redeploy it.

Can I have separate Development and Production environments?​

Yes. The Deploy page supports multiple environments. You can deploy to Development first, test your changes, and then promote to Production when you're confident everything works.

What GCP resources does Fascia create?​

When you deploy, Fascia provisions:

  • Cloud Run — Hosts the execution engine that runs your Tools
  • Cloud SQL (PostgreSQL) — Stores your business data
  • Cloud Scheduler — Runs scheduled Tools (cron jobs)
  • Secret Manager — Stores API keys and credentials securely

All resources are created in your GCP project with minimal required permissions.

Troubleshooting​

I forgot my password​

Use the Forgot Password link on the login page. You'll receive a password reset email with a link to set a new password.

My GCP connection isn't working​

Common fixes:

  1. Check permissions — Your Google account needs Owner or Editor role on the GCP project
  2. Enable billing — GCP requires billing to be enabled for Cloud Run and Cloud SQL
  3. Check APIs — Ensure Cloud Run, Cloud SQL, and Secret Manager APIs are enabled in your project

A Tool returns an error​

  1. Check the Audit Log in the Management Console — it shows the error details
  2. Look at the Risk Engine warnings in Flow Studio — Yellow signals might indicate the issue
  3. Verify your Entity invariants — if the data doesn't satisfy a business rule, the transaction will roll back

Data seems missing​

Check these common causes:

  • Soft delete — Records marked as deleted are hidden from normal queries. They're not actually removed.
  • Row-level access — If you're logged in as a customer role, you only see your own records. Switch to an admin account to see all data.
  • Pagination — Large datasets are paginated. Check if there are more pages.

More Help​