Glossary
The naming is biological on purpose — the product centralises scattered programs the way a nervous system centralises scattered signals.
Core
The central node, also called the nucleus. One Go binary with the console compiled in and a SQLite database. The only component that stores anything.
Neuron
A worker: one of your applications, connected to the Core. Identified by
workerName, which must be stable across restarts.
Worker
The same thing as a neuron. Worker is used in the API and configuration; neuron is used when talking about the model.
Process
A unit of work inside a worker — a job, a loop, a task. Names are unique per worker, not globally, which is why processes are addressed by id.
Endless process
A process that runs until told to stop. Cooperates with a stop signal.
Progressive process
A process that runs to completion on its own and reaches idle by finishing.
Cancelled by interruption rather than by a flag.
Execution
One durable run of a process, with a start, an end and an outcome. Starting a process appends a new execution record; completed executions remain in history.
Run id
The identifier the Core assigns to an in-flight execution. Present in the heartbeat while a run is active; carried back unchanged by the worker.
Desired state
What the Core wants a process to be doing. One of idle, running or
stopping. idle means "no command", never "stop".
Current state
What a process is actually doing, as reported by the worker. One of idle,
running, stopping or failed.
Desired token
An integer the Core increments on every user command. The worker applies a
command only when this is strictly greater than its ackToken.
Ack token
The last desiredToken a worker actually applied. Reported on every heartbeat.
This is what makes commands idempotent.
Heartbeat
The single outbound POST a worker makes on a fixed interval, carrying every process it owns and receiving the Core's desired states in reply.
Framework
The runtime a worker declares itself to be. Recorded as unknown when not sent —
never inferred.