📌 Purpose & Quick Summary

The Automation Hub empowers you to automate repetitive web operations, integrate external webhooks, trigger serverless-like bot workflows, and manage scheduled event sequences without writing complex cron scripts. BoostonCP's sandboxed automation engine executes tasks within your user account boundary, providing complete isolation and enterprise audit logs.

BoostonCP Automation Hub Overview

Figure 13: Automation Hub dashboard showing automation templates, active instances, and webhook endpoints.

🖥️ Interface Tour & Elements

  1. Explore Catalog Tab: Ready-to-deploy workflow templates (Webhook receivers, automated cache purgers, database optimizers, notification bots).
  2. Active Instances Tab: Ledger of all currently deployed automation workflows with status toggles and trigger metrics.
  3. Webhook Endpoints: Unique, cryptographically signed webhook URLs that trigger workflows upon receiving HTTP POST requests.
  4. Execution History Logs: Audit table detailing execution timestamps, triggers, return codes, and output payloads.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Deploying an Automation Template

  1. In the sidebar, click Automation (icon: fa-robot).
  2. Under the Explore tab, select a workflow template (e.g. Webhook Cache Purge or Nightly DB Optimize).
  3. Click Deploy Workflow.
  4. Configure workflow parameters (target domain, notification channels, execution schedule).
  5. Click Activate Automation.

Step 2: Triggering Workflows via Webhook

  1. Go to the Active Instances tab and click on your workflow.
  2. Copy the generated Trigger Webhook URL.
  3. In your external service (e.g. GitHub Actions, Stripe, Zapier), paste the webhook URL as an HTTP POST target.
  4. When the external event fires, BoostonCP executes the workflow automatically.

⚙️ Complete Field & Parameter Reference Table

Automation Parameter Value Type Description
Workflow Name String Identifier for the automation routine.
Trigger Type Webhook / Schedule Determines whether execution is event-driven or time-based.
Webhook Secret SHA-256 Token Cryptographic signature verifying that incoming webhook payloads are authentic.
Execution Timeout Seconds (default: 60s) Safety threshold preventing runaway automated processes.

❓ Troubleshooting & Common Errors

1. Webhook Returns "401 Unauthorized"

  • Cause: Incoming webhook request missing the required authentication header or secret token.
  • Solution: Ensure your external service passes the secret token in the query string or X-Booston-Secret HTTP header.