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First Steps with FuncNodes

This guide walks you through launching FuncNodes, creating your first worker, and building a simple workflow.

1. Launch the UI

Start the FuncNodes web interface:

funcnodes runserver # (1)!
  1. For more options see the CLI reference

This opens a browser window with the FuncNodes interface:

UI startup

2. Create a Worker

Workers are isolated execution environments that run your workflows. Each worker has:

  • Its own virtual environment (isolated dependencies)
  • Its own nodespace (graph state)
  • Its own installed modules

Steps

  1. Click Worker → New in the menu bar
  2. Enter a name for your worker
  3. Click Create

new worker

The worker is created in ~/.funcnodes/workers/ with its own virtualenv.

3. Start the Worker

  1. Go to Worker → Select
  2. Click on your worker's name

The worker is active when you see:

  • Nodespace menu enabled in the header
  • Manage Libraries button available

run worker

4. Install Modules

FuncNodes functionality comes from modules—Python packages containing nodes.

Steps

  1. Click Manage Libraries
  2. Browse available modules:
  3. Installed — Modules in your worker's environment
  4. Available — Modules from the official registry
  5. Active — Modules loaded in the current worker
  6. Click Add to install a module

add module

After installation, the module's shelf appears in the Lib menu.

5. Add Nodes to Your Workflow

Nodes are the computational units—functions with inputs and outputs.

Adding Nodes

  1. Open the Lib menu
  2. Browse shelves or use the search bar
  3. Double-click a node name to add it to the nodespace

node basics

Connecting Nodes

  1. Drag from an output port to an input port to create a connection
  2. Click on an input to edit its value manually (for compatible types)
  3. Hover over any port to see its current value

Execution Flow

  • When an input changes, the node triggers automatically
  • Outputs flow to connected inputs, potentially triggering downstream nodes
  • Execution cascades through the graph based on data dependencies

6. What's Next?

Now that you have a running workflow:

Topic Description
Creating Nodes Build custom nodes with decorators or classes
Inputs & Outputs Understand data flow and type rendering
Examples See complete workflow examples
Available Modules Browse the official module ecosystem

Tips

Live Preview

Click on connections to see data flowing through your workflow in real-time.

Development Mode

For developing custom nodes, use funcnodes --dir .funcnodes runserver to keep data in your project folder.