> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://knowledge-base-starter-mintlify-85d166f9.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Services overview

> The main services that make up our platform, what each one does, and how they communicate.

This page gives a high-level map of our backend services. Each service has its own README with deeper documentation.

## Service map

```mermaid theme={null}
graph TD
    Client([Client]) --> GW[API Gateway]
    GW --> Auth[Auth Service]
    GW --> Core[Core API]
    GW --> Worker[Worker Service]
    Core --> DB[(Database\nprimary store)]
    Core --> Cache[(Cache\nin-memory)]
    Worker --> DB
    Worker --> Cache
    Core -->|publishes jobs| Queue[[Job Queue]]
    Worker -->|consumes jobs| Queue
```

## Services

### API Gateway

The public-facing entry point. Handles routing, rate limiting, and authentication checks before forwarding requests to downstream services. Deployed on \[Platform].

**Repo:** `api-gateway`

### Auth Service

Manages user identity, sessions, and permissions. Integrates with your identity provider for SSO. All authentication decisions are delegated here — other services call Auth to validate tokens.

**Repo:** `auth-service`

### Core API

The main application backend. Handles business logic for the primary product domain. Owns the primary database.

**Repo:** `core-api`

### Worker Service

Processes background jobs: email delivery, async data processing, scheduled tasks, and webhook delivery. Consumes from the job queue.

**Repo:** `worker`

## Communication patterns

* **Synchronous:** Services communicate via internal HTTP APIs. Auth headers are passed through and validated at each service boundary.
* **Asynchronous:** Workers consume from the job queue. The Core API publishes jobs; workers process them independently.
* **Events:** Significant domain events (user created, subscription changed) are published to the event bus for downstream consumers.

## Environments

| Environment | Purpose                     | Access           |
| ----------- | --------------------------- | ---------------- |
| Local       | Development                 | All engineers    |
| Staging     | Pre-production verification | All engineers    |
| Production  | Live traffic                | Deploy tool only |