How an app fits together

A Foundation app is a set of parts that snap together. You turn on the ones you need; Foundation connects them and runs them. This page is the mental model — once it clicks, the rest of the docs are just detail.

It's all configuration

Every app is defined by configuration, not code:

• Which capabilities are on — users, billing, data, AI, integrations
• How each is set up — your auth method, your plans, your data models
• What's exposed — REST API, MCP, API-as-a-service (a switch per capability)
• Who can do what — roles and scopes, across everything

You set that config however you like — the result is identical.

The kernel, and the parts you add

Every app — even a tiny one — comes with a kernel:

• It deploys and runs (shared or dedicated infrastructure)
• It has an API surface (REST + MCP, off by default, flipped on per capability)
• It has a roles & scopes engine that governs access to everything
• It can have a custom domain and SSL

On top of the kernel you switch on capabilities as needed:

Capability	What it adds
Identity	Login, registration, OAuth, API keys
Data	Entities (a database), file storage
Monetization	Stripe, plans, usage limits, gating
AI	Prompts and actions, wired to your data
Integrations	Connect outside services as tools

How the parts connect

The power is in how the parts reference each other — this is the glue Foundation handles so you don't have to:

• Plans gate capabilities. A billing plan maps to usage limits, so "Pro unlocks AI" just works.
• Entities power actions. Your AI prompts and actions can read and write your data.
• Integrations become tools. A connected service's methods can be called by your actions, your API, or an AI agent.
• Roles & scopes cut across all of it. One permission model decides who — and which bots — can touch each entity, action, and integration.

You don't wire these together by hand. You turn things on; Foundation connects them.

What you get when you deploy

Deploying provisions the real infrastructure behind those capabilities:

You configured	You get
Users	Auth (Cognito or Auth0), user pools, OAuth
Data	A database for your entities, plus file storage
Billing	A live Stripe connection and plan management
API	REST endpoints and an MCP server
Domain	A custom domain with automatic SSL

Shared or dedicated

	What it is	Best for
Shared	Runs on Foundation's shared infrastructure	Getting started — fast and cheap
Dedicated	Your own isolated infrastructure, domain, and auth	Production and businesses

These are points on a spectrum, not rival choices — start shared and move to dedicated when you're ready.

Apps can have apps

A Foundation app can spawn child apps that share the parent's resources — the basis for marketplaces, plugin ecosystems, and multi-tenant platforms. More on this when you need it.

Next: Three ways to build & manage.