## Flow Backend & Sync

Flow's optional backend is deployed into your own AWS account. When backend sync is enabled the editor extracts a canonical form definition, computes a sync hash and sends the definition to the backend. The backend stores the schema and returns a form ID, which WordPress tracks in post meta alongside sync status, timestamps and error state.

That backend definition is what powers the broader Pro feature set:

- durable submission storage,
- admin-side filtering and timelines,
- templates and workflows,
- save-draft / load-draft support,
- presigned upload flows for file-heavy submissions.

Flow can still work without this backend. In that mode each form simply submits to the endpoint URL configured on the form. With the backend enabled, the runtime resolves a backend transport and submits into the Flow automation layer instead.

The workflow/event side is now just as important as schema sync. Backend-connected forms can emit or consume events such as `submission.created`, `submission.updated`, `submission.action-invoked`, `integration.webhook.requested`, `ai.agent.completed` and `ai.agent.failed`.

This matters beyond browser forms: Flow workflows can also sit behind AI Kit Backend email-intake chains, which means the same routing, templating and AI-agent steps can process inbound emails and regular form submissions through a shared normalized event contract.