Component Nodes

Components are available building blocks that define capabilities in SuperPlane. A component node is one instance of a component on the canvas. When you add a component to your canvas, it becomes a node that can receive events, perform work, and emit payloads.

Widgets are separate: they are visual-only (annotations) and do not run or emit payloads. See Canvas.

Components vs Component Nodes

• Component: The building block definition — what it does, what configuration it needs, what it emits
• Component Node: A single instance of a component placed on your canvas with specific configuration

Think of it like this: a component is the reusable definition, and a component node is one concrete instance with its own settings and name.

Component Types

There are two types of executable components (nodes that participate in runs):

Trigger Components

Trigger components start workflow executions. They listen for external events or can be invoked manually.

Examples: Webhook, Schedule, Manual Run, GitHub onPush, Slack onAppMention

Action Components

Action components execute operations in response to upstream events. They subscribe to events, perform operations, and emit payloads for downstream nodes.

Examples: HTTP Request, Filter, Approval, GitHub runWorkflow, Slack sendMessage

Widgets (non-executable)

Widgets are not triggers or actions: they do not subscribe, queue work, or emit payloads. Use them to annotate the canvas. See Canvas.

Adding Component Nodes to the Canvas

New component nodes can be added to the Canvas in two ways:

From the Components Menu

1. Click the ”+ Components” button in the top right of the canvas
2. Select a component from the list of available components
3. Drag it onto the canvas where you want it

The component is now a node on your canvas, ready to be configured and connected.

From Output Channels

You can also drag an output channel from an existing node to an empty space on the canvas. This creates a new component node and automatically subscribes it to that output channel, making it faster to model workflows.

Node Overview on Canvas

Each component node on the canvas displays key information and provides interactive elements:

1. Input channel — Drag to subscribe to events from other nodes (Action nodes only).
2. Configuration overview — Quick summary of key settings for this node.
3. Latest Run Item — Shows the last run executed or event emitted.
4. Action menu — On hover: manually emit, copy, collapse/expand, or delete.
5. Output channels — Subscribe other nodes or drag to create new components.

Pausing and resuming nodes

You can pause a component node so it stops dequeuing new work. Events can still arrive and queue; they are processed again after you resume the node. Use this for maintenance, incident response, or debugging. Paused nodes are skipped until resumed (from the node menu where available, or via the API).

Component Node Sidebar

Clicking on a component node selects it and opens a component node sidebar.

1. Click to open — You can click on a node to open the sidebar.
2. Resizable sidebar — Sidebar is resizable and contains node details.
3. Latest runs section — Recent executions with event ID, timestamp, and status.
4. Configuration tab — Node settings. Fields support expressions — see Expressions.
5. Action menu for run item — Cancel or push through running items.
6. Queue — Items waiting to execute (FIFO order).

Single Run Chain

Select a run from the list to see the full chain of nodes it went through.

1. Run chain — Shows all nodes in the run with current node preselected.
2. Dimmed nodes — Nodes not included in the run are dimmed on the canvas.
3. Expandable details — Expand other nodes in the chain to view their payloads.
4. Details tab — Execution info: start/finish time, result, duration.
5. Payload tab — The data this node emitted for downstream nodes.
6. Config tab — Resolved configuration for this run (same as $['Node Name'].config in expressions). See Expressions.

Component Availability

Components are provided by integrations. SuperPlane includes:

• Core components: Built-in components like Webhook, Filter, HTTP Request
• Integration components: Components from integrations like GitHub, Slack, PagerDuty

To use integration components, you may need to configure authentication or connection settings for that integration first.

Browse the Components section to see all available components and their documentation.

Best Practices

When working with component nodes:

• Choose the right component: Understand what each component does before using it
• Use expressions: Make configurations dynamic by referencing upstream data
• Name nodes clearly: Use descriptive names that indicate purpose
• Test incrementally: Verify component behavior before building complex workflows
• Monitor run history: Check execution history to understand behavior and debug issues

For more details on how component nodes connect and how data flows between them, see Data Flow. For information about the canvas where you work with component nodes, see Canvas.