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name: understanding-flow description: Use when learning walkerOS architecture, understanding data flow, or designing composable event pipelines. Covers Source→Collector→Destination pattern and separation of concerns.

Understanding walkerOS Flow

Overview

walkerOS follows a Source → Collector → Destination(s) architecture for composable, modular event processing.

Core principle: Separation of concerns. Each component has one job. Components are composable and replaceable.

The Flow Pattern

Sources          →    Collector    →    Destinations
(Data Capture)        (Processing)      (Delivery)

- Browser DOM         - Validation      - Google Analytics
- DataLayer           - Enrichment      - Meta Pixel
- Server HTTP         - Consent check   - Custom API
- Cloud Functions     - Routing         - Data Warehouse

Key Concepts

Composability

A Flow combines components. You can:

• Use multiple sources feeding one collector
• Route events to multiple destinations
• Swap components without changing others

The Flow Type

See packages/core/src/types/flow.ts for the canonical interface.

// Conceptual structure (see source for full type)
interface Flow {
  sources?: Record<string, Source>;
  collector: Collector;
  destinations?: Record<string, Destination>;
}

Universal Push Interface

All components communicate via push functions:

Component	Push Signature	Purpose
Source	push(input) → events	Capture external data
Collector	push(event) → void	Process and route
Destination	push(event, context) → void	Transform and deliver

The elb() function is an alias for collector.push - used for component wiring.

startFlow Helper

See packages/collector/src/flow.ts for the startFlow function.

import { startFlow } from '@walkeros/collector';

const { collector, elb } = await startFlow({
  sources: {
    /* ... */
  },
  destinations: {
    /* ... */
  },
});

Separation of Concerns

Concern	Handled By	NOT Handled By
Event capture	Sources	Collector, Destinations
Event structure	Event model	Components
Consent checking	Collector	Sources, Destinations
Transformation	Mapping system	Raw push calls
Delivery	Destinations	Sources, Collector

Related

Skills:

• understanding-events skill - Event model
• understanding-destinations skill - Destination interface
• understanding-sources skill - Source interface

Package READMEs:

• packages/collector/README.md - Collector details

Source Files:

• packages/collector/src/flow.ts - startFlow implementation

Documentation:

• Website: Flow - Flow concept
• Website: Collector - Collector docs