What is DBFlow?

DBFlow is a model-first approval workflow engine for Laravel and Filament. It attaches approval workflows, tasks, audit logs, and reject paths to your Eloquent models.

Stable release: Use ^1.0 constraints in production. DBFlow Pro (dbflowlabs/filament-pro) is the commercial visual builder.

The core idea

Approval logic often ends up scattered across controllers and ad hoc status columns. DBFlow offers a cleaner model: publish a JSON workflow definition, attach HasWorkflow, and let the runtime handle tasks, transitions, concurrency, and history.

use DbflowLabs\Core\DBFlow;
use DbflowLabs\Core\Enums\RejectStrategy;
use DbflowLabs\Core\Enums\WorkflowTaskStatus;

DBFlow::start('refund_dispute_approval', $dispute, $user);

$task = $dispute->runningWorkflowInstance('refund_dispute_approval')
    ?->tasks()
    ->where('status', WorkflowTaskStatus::Pending)
    ->first();

DBFlow::approve($task, $user, 'Approved.');
DBFlow::reject($task, $user, 'Missing receipt.', RejectStrategy::Starter);

Workflow state lives in DBFlow tables (dbflow_workflow_instances, dbflow_workflow_tasks, dbflow_workflow_logs). Your domain model stays focused on business data.

What DBFlow handles

Approvals — multi-step, multi-actor approval chains (ApprovalMode::Any, All, Sequential)
Tasks — assignable action items that block progression
Conditions — branch via transitions[].condition and workflow variables
Rollback — reject back via RejectStrategy (Starter, PreviousNode, SpecificNode, End)
Audit logs — dbflow_workflow_logs with actor, event type, and comment
Filament visibility — optional via dbflowlabs/filament, or host-built inbox pages

What DBFlow is not

Not a BPM platform, Zapier clone, or no-code process suite. DBFlow is a developer tool — JSON definitions versioned in your database, authored from PHP providers or admin tools.

Also not:

A form builder or AI workflow generator
A replacement for Laravel queues or event listeners
A fluent PHP node DSL

DBFlow Pro adds a LogicFlow canvas (ProCanvasField) for visual definition authoring. JSON remains the runtime source of truth.

Good use cases

Use case	Why it fits
Refund dispute approvals	Tiered review, amount branching, audit trail
Purchase / procurement requests	Multi-level sign-off with budget conditions
Expense claims	Submitter → manager → finance chain
Vendor onboarding	Document review + compliance steps
High-value orders	Threshold-based manual review
Leave requests	Manager + HR approval chain

Not ideal for

Generic event pipelines (use Laravel Events and Listeners)
Simple one-step form submissions
Complex BPMN suites with diagram interchange
AI-generated or natural-language-defined workflows

Product layers

Layer	Package	Role
DBFlow Core	`dbflowlabs/core`	Runtime engine, JSON execution, hooks, logs (no admin UI)
DBFlow Filament Standard	`dbflowlabs/filament`	Optional: My Tasks, instances, timelines, workflow resource
DBFlow Pro	`dbflowlabs/filament-pro`	Visual canvas editor; commercial license through Customer Portal

License note: Core and Filament Standard ship with MIT license files. Pro features and production domain management are commercial — see Pricing.

Next step

Install DBFlow →