> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.contextual.io/documentation-and-resources/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.contextual.io/documentation-and-resources/getting-started/readme.md). # Welcome ## Why Contextual? Contextual dramatically simplifies the development, deployment, operations, and scaling of AI-enabled services that power your business applications, automation, tasks, integrations, and processes. * Contextual’s fully integrated tech stack eliminates timely setup and configuration * Contextual’s low-code flow editor, AI-driven data schemas, and instant API reduce unnecessary coding. * Contextual’s automatic deployment and instant scaling decrease operational complexity and burden.
ComponentsDiscover the building blocks of Contextual.https://docs.contextual.io/documentation-and-resources/components-and-dataconcepts.svg
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## What Is Contextual Good For? Contextual is ideal for AI-enhanced services that require asynchronous event processing, the ability to execute discrete business logic on every event as it flows through the system, and the ability to scale from zero to high transaction volumes in real-time. Organizations with distributed field service operations, real-time client data exchange or system integrations, high-transaction volume sales, purchasing or support teams, connected IOT devices, or cross-functional / cross-system workflow management requirements benefit from Contextual’s ability to enable fast, cost effective and scalable microservices for: * Event Transformation, Enhancement and Triggering - Taking a raw transaction or event and modifying it to the format required for a downstream system, enhancing the data for presentation to an end user, or applying rule-based business logic that triggers follow-on action. * AI Analysis and Processing - Passing individual events into an LLM assistant to interpret and summarize natural language, categorize requests, prioritize incidents or identify variance. * Data Collection and Organization - Regularly polling or receiving data from disparate internal or third party systems and applying rules or logic to consolidate that data into actionable records for subsequent processing. * Validation and Verification - Comparing an individual transaction or group of transactions against an established pattern, rule-set, delivery obligation or expected result to ensure service, contract or financial compliance. ## Example Contextual Microservices For instance, standardizing timezones, applying consistent categorization rules, localizing language or transforming measurements. ## How Does Contextual Simplify Development, Deployment, Operations and Scaling of Those Backend Microservices? Contextual dramatically reduces time to value for backend microservices by eliminating timely setup and configuration, reducing unnecessary coding and decreasing operational complexity and burden. We achieve this by delivering: ### World Class, Fully Integrated Tech Stack for Asynchronous Apps Contextual has customized, augmented and combined a suite of state-of-the-art open-source technologies in order to create a fully-managed, tightly integrated technology stack. The Contextual solution combines critical functions for data definition and management, asynchronous message handling, secure API access, low-code business logic development and zero complexity deployment. All of this is deployed with just a click, enabling developers to begin working on business value immediately. ### AI-Driven, Low-Code Application Development Contextual’s development tools are linked with OpenAIs API to simplify critical development functions including data record schema design and NodeRED-based business functionality. With simple AI prompts, developers can create, modify and deploy. * One-Click Microservice Service Deployment * Customizable, Agent-Based Compute Scaling ### Quick System Flyover * [**Home**](/documentation-and-resources/tenants/tenant-workspace.md) — See a summary of your tenant. * [**Workers**](/documentation-and-resources/components-and-data/contextual-workers.md) — Run your application code using the languages, libraries, and tools you choose. Build HTTP services, process events, or run scheduled jobs. Use managed Workers for platform-provided execution templates and access to records, files, and AI. Workers are currently in early access. * [**Object Types**](/documentation-and-resources/components-and-data/object-types.md) and [**Records**](/documentation-and-resources/components-and-data/object-types/records.md) — Define your application's data structures and validation rules. Create, query, and manage the records your Workers use. * [**AI Search**](/documentation-and-resources/components-and-data/ai-search.md) — Configure search profiles and query indexed data from your applications. * [**Connections**](/documentation-and-resources/components-and-data/connections.md) — Centrally manage integration settings and credentials for external systems. * [**Deployments**](/documentation-and-resources/components-and-data/contextual-workers/about-workers.md#deploy-and-iterate) and [**Logs**](/documentation-and-resources/components-and-data/contextual-workers/contextual-cli.md#read-logs) — Inspect Worker readiness, running instances, and deployment status in the console. Use the Contextual CLI to read Worker container output. [Platform Logs](/documentation-and-resources/tenants/monitoring/logs.md) provides access to platform-routed session and message logs. * [**Security**](/documentation-and-resources/tenants/tenant-apis/auth-administration-api.md) — Manage users, roles, and API access. Configure [API keys](/documentation-and-resources/tenants/tenant-apis/authentication-and-permissions.md#set-up-api-key-access) and [JWKS Profiles](/documentation-and-resources/components-and-data/jwks-profiles.md) as your solution requires. * [**Tenant APIs**](/documentation-and-resources/tenants/tenant-apis.md) — Explore the APIs available to your tenant for working with data and platform capabilities from your application code or other systems. The catalog links to each API's guide and reference documentation. * [**Services**](/documentation-and-resources/tenants/tenant-apis/services-api.md) — Package reusable collections of Contextual components and move them between tenants. * [**Flows**](/documentation-and-resources/components-and-data/flows.md) and [**Agents**](/documentation-and-resources/components-and-data/agents.md) — Build visual workflows in Flows and configure the Agents that execute them. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question. 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