# What is Orchestration?

**Category:** [Orchestration](https://help.totalctrl.app/hc/totalctrl/totalctrl-help-center/en-US/categories/orchestration)
**Updated:** 2026-08-19

## Automate work across your whole stack

Orchestration is TotalCtrl's no-code automation engine. A **workflow** starts from a **trigger** (something that happens, like a deal being won or a survey being submitted) and then runs a series of **steps** — actions in other apps, plus flow-control steps that add real logic.

You build everything visually on a drag-and-drop canvas. No code, no middleware.
### What a workflow can do

- **Trigger** from a TotalCtrl event or an external app (webhook or polling).
- **Act** in 200+ connected apps — create a Slack message, a Salesforce record, a Stripe customer, a row in Google Sheets, and many more.
- **Branch and loop** with filters, routers, iterators, and delays so the workflow follows the right path for each run.
- **Pass data forward** using variables, so a value from the trigger or an earlier step can be used later.

### The building blocks

- **Trigger** — the single event that starts the workflow.
- **Action** — a task performed in a connected app.
- **Filter** — stops the run unless conditions are met.
- **Router** — splits into multiple branches based on conditions.
- **Loop** — repeats steps once per item in a list.
- **Delay** — pauses the workflow for a set amount of time.

Each of these is covered in detail in the *Flow Control* and *Triggers & Connectors* sections.

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## Related Articles

- [Orchestration Overview](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/orchestration-overview)
- [Connect an app](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/connect-an-app-1)
- [Build your first workflow](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/build-your-first-workflow)
- [Filters: stop a run when conditions aren't met](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/flow-control-filters)
- [Delays: pause a workflow for minutes, hours, or days](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/flow-control-delays)

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