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ServFlow is a visual backend engine that lets you build APIs through an intuitive dashboard interface. This guide walks you through creating a simple “Hello World” API endpoint using the dashboard. By the end, you’ll have a working API that responds to HTTP requests.
Prefer writing configuration files directly? See the YAML Quickstart for a code-first approach, or learn about Running Modes to understand when to use each.

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Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have ServFlow Pro running with the dashboard enabled: 
servflow-pro start --config config.toml --dashboard
See the Installation Guide if you haven’t set up ServFlow Pro yet.

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Step 1: Open the Dashboard

Open your browser and navigate to the ServFlow dashboard: 
http://localhost:3000
You’ll see the ServFlow builder interface with the Files Available panel on the left side.
ServFlow Dashboard with Files Available panel

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Step 2: Create a New API Configuration

Click the + button in the Files Available panel header to create a new API configuration.
Create New API Configuration dialog
In the dialog that appears:
  1. Enter a name for your configuration (e.g., hello-world)
  2. Click Create
Configuration names can only contain letters, numbers, hyphens (-), and underscores (_).

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Step 3: Configure Your HTTP Entry Point

After creating the configuration, you’ll see a visual workflow editor with an Http Request Entry node automatically created.
Workflow editor with HTTP Request Entry node
The entry node is pre-configured with:
  • Method: GET
  • ListenPath: /hello-world (based on your configuration name)
Click on the entry node to modify these settings if needed.

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Step 4: Add a Response

Click the + button below the Http Request Entry node to add a new node.
Node type selection dialog
A dialog will appear with three options:
  • Actions — Perform operations like HTTP requests, transformations, etc.
  • Branch — Add conditional logic to your workflow
  • Responses — Return a response to the client
Select Responses to add a response node to your workflow.

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Step 5: Configure the Response

Configure your response node with a simple JSON payload:
  1. Set Status Code to 200
  2. Add a response body:
{
  "message": "Hello, World!",
  "status": "success"
}
Configured workflow with response

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Step 6: Save Your Configuration

Click the Save button in the top-left corner to save your API configuration.

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Step 7: Test Your API

Your API is now live! Test it using curl: 
curl http://localhost:8080/hello-world
You should receive the response: 
{
  "message": "Hello, World!",
  "status": "success"
}
Congratulations! You’ve successfully created your first API with ServFlow.

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Next Steps

Now that you’ve created your first API, explore more features:

Secrets Management

Securely store API keys and credentials for your workflows.

Configuration Reference

Explore all ServFlow configuration options.

Local Development

Set up your local development environment with tracing and more.

Installation

Deploy ServFlow to your infrastructure.