Core Concepts
Understanding the fundamental building blocks of Stacker will help you build better portals faster. Let's explore the key concepts.
At a glance: You build portals for end users, configure everything in the admin interface, store data under Setup → Data, optionally wire in data connectors, govern who can do what with user access, and automate behavior with workflows. Admin, Setup → Data, and the portal all use the same underlying data—same tables and records—with different interfaces and permission rules, not separate databases per area.
Portals
Branded experiences for customers, partners, and vendors: the pages, forms, and views where external users see permitted data and take allowed actions.
Admin Interface
Where your team designs the app: Setup → Data, portal UI, permissions, connectors, and workflows—full control behind the scenes.
Data Tables
Structured storage under Setup → Data—fields as columns, records as rows—with relations between tables so you can model real-world links.
Data connectors
Integrations that bring data in from or sync with external systems and sources, keeping your tables aligned with tools you already use.
User access
Who can sign in, what they see, and what they can change—rules for admin users and portal users, including which records each portal user can access.
Workflows
Automations triggered by events: send notifications, update records, call webhooks, and chain steps so routine work happens without manual effort.
Tables
Tables are the foundation of your Stacker app. Think of them like spreadsheets or database tables—they store structured data with rows and columns.
Each app can have multiple tables. For example, a client portal might have tables for:
- Clients — Company name, contact info, account status
- Projects — Project name, status, due date, assigned client
- Invoices — Amount, status, date, related project
- Documents — File uploads, document type, related project
The AI builder will automatically suggest and create tables based on your description, but you can always add, modify, or remove tables later.
Fields & relations
Each column uses a field type (text, dates, files, relations, formulas, and more).
Relation fields link records across tables; Stacker adds the matching inverse link so you can navigate both ways (for example projects ↔ clients).
See the Field types doc for a full list and short descriptions, including computed fields (formula, rollup, and lookup).
Portal Users vs Admin Users
Stacker distinguishes between two types of users:
Admin Users
Your internal team members who build and manage the app. They have access to:
- • Setup → Data for tables and records, and the portal builder
- • All data across all tables
- • Workflow and automation configuration
- • User and permission management
Portal Users
Your external users (clients, partners, vendors) who access the portal. They see:
- • Only the portal interface you've designed
- • Only data they're permitted to see
- • Only actions they're allowed to perform
- • A branded experience matching your company