What are the differences between flow, private flow sub flow in Mule Soft?

 

What are the differences between flow, private flowsub flow in Mule Soft?

 Flows, subflows, and private flows are all constructs used in MuleSoft Anypoint Platform to organize and modularize message processing logic. While they share some similarities, there are also key differences that make them suitable for different use cases.

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Flow

A flow is the basic unit of message processing in MuleSoft. It represents a sequence of steps that are executed to transform or route a message. A flow has three main components:

●     Source: The source is where the message originates from. It can be an event source, such as a file system or a database, or it can be a message that is passed from another flow.

●     Process: The process component contains the message processors that perform the actual work of the flow. These processors can be used to transform the message, route it to a destination, or perform any other type of operation.

●     Error Handling: The error handling component defines how the flow should handle errors. It can be used to log errors, send notifications, or retry the failed operation.

Subflow

A subflow is a reusable flow that can be called from other flows. It is essentially a flow that is encapsulated within another flow. Subflows are useful for modularizing complex logic and for reusing common processing patterns.

Subflows do not have their own source or error handling scope. Instead, they inherit these properties from the calling flow. This means that subflows cannot receive messages directly from event sources, and they must handle errors by propagating them back to the calling flow.

Private Flow

A private flow is a flow that does not have a source. It is used to encapsulate business logic that does not require an external event to trigger it. Private flows can be called from other flows using a flow reference component.

Private flows have their own error handling scope. This means that they can handle errors independently of the calling flow. This is useful for encapsulating business logic that has specific error handling requirements.

When to Use Each

The following table summarizes when to use each of the three constructs:

 

Construct	Description	When to Use
Flow	The basic unit of message processing in MuleSoft.	For simple message processing tasks.
Subflow	A reusable flow that can be called from other flows.	For modularizing complex logic and for reusing common processing patterns.
Private Flow	A flow that does not have a source and has its own error handling scope.	For encapsulating business logic that does not require an external event to trigger it and has specific error handling requirements.