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Getting Started

Fascia is a platform that lets you design, govern, and deploy production backend systems without writing code. You describe your business logic through structured specifications, and Fascia handles the rest -- from database schema generation to API deployment -- all running safely inside your own Google Cloud project.

Early Access

Fascia is currently in early access. Some features described in this guide are under active development. Request access to join the early access program.

How Fascia Works​

Building a backend with Fascia follows four steps:

1. Define Entities​

Entities are your business objects -- the core data structures your application operates on. Each Entity includes:

  • Fields -- Typed attributes like name (string), totalPrice (number), or status (enum).
  • Relationships -- Connections to other Entities (e.g., a Reservation belongs to a Customer).
  • Status machine -- Allowed states and transitions (e.g., pending -> confirmed -> completed).
  • Invariants -- Business rules that must always hold true (e.g., "end date must be after start date").

Fascia automatically generates the database schema, migrations, and CRUD operations from your Entity definitions. Learn more in the Entity concept guide.

2. Create Tools​

Tools are executable backend operations -- the equivalent of API endpoints, webhook handlers, or scheduled jobs. Each Tool is defined by a flow graph: a visual directed acyclic graph (DAG) of nodes that describes the execution logic step by step.

Flow nodes include data operations (Read, Write), logic (Transform, If/Switch, Retry), external integrations (Payment, Email, HTTP Request), and safety controls (Transaction, Policy Check, Assert).

Every Tool follows the Execution Contract -- a strict 9-step sequence that guarantees input validation, authorization, policy checks, transaction boundaries, invariant enforcement, and audit logging for every invocation.

Learn more in the Tool and Flow concept guides.

3. Review Safety​

Before deployment, Fascia's Risk Engine analyzes every Tool and classifies it with a risk level:

LevelMeaningDeployment
GreenSafe -- all writes are transactional, no unbounded queries, no raw SQLAllowed
YellowWarning -- external calls without retry, high row impact, missing timeoutAllowed after acknowledgment
RedBlocked -- raw writes, missing transactions, payment without rollbackMust be fixed before deployment

The Risk Engine catches unsafe patterns at design time, not at runtime. This means problems are identified and resolved before they can affect real users or data. See the Policy concept guide for details.

4. Deploy​

Once your Entities and Tools pass safety review, deploy them to your own GCP project with a single action. Fascia provisions the necessary infrastructure:

  • Cloud Run -- Hosts the Executor that runs your Tools
  • Cloud SQL -- PostgreSQL database for your business data
  • Cloud Scheduler -- Runs cron-triggered Tools on schedule
  • Secret Manager -- Stores API keys, OAuth secrets, and credentials

Your data never leaves your cloud project. Fascia's Control Plane stores only the spec definitions and deployment metadata -- never your business data. This is the BYOC (Bring Your Own Cloud) model.

Design Surfaces​

Fascia provides three interfaces for building and managing your backend:

Chat Studio​

Describe what you want in natural language. Fascia's AI assistant translates your requirements into Entity and Tool specifications. The AI operates only during design -- it is never involved in runtime execution (see ADR-002).

Flow Studio​

A visual drag-and-drop editor for designing Tool execution logic. Build flow graphs by connecting nodes from a palette of data, logic, external, and safety operations. Flow Studio provides real-time validation, risk classification, and concurrency strategy display.

Management Console​

Deploy, monitor, and manage your production backend. View deployment status, inspect audit logs, manage workspace settings, and monitor Tool execution metrics.

Next Steps​