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## Resource: About Automations

## Article: About Automations

## Article Link: https://dev.wix.com/docs/develop-websites-sdk/code-your-site/build-a-custom-backend/automations/about-automations.md

## Article Content:

# About Automations

An automation is a tool that automatically performs tasks, eliminating the need for manual intervention. It connects specific events to corresponding actions that create independent workflows once configured. 

Automations consist of 2 main components: 
- **Trigger:** An event that initiates the automation, such as a form submission, member login, or invoice payment.
- **Action:** A task that executes when the event is triggered. Actions might include sending emails, updating databases, or calling APIs.

## Supported IDEs

You can create automations by selecting triggers and actions in: 
- The [editor](https://dev.wix.com/docs/develop-websites-sdk/code-your-site/developer-environments/editors/wix-studio-working-with-the-code-panel.md) (Wix Studio and Wix Editor)

## Automation types

Wix offers 2 types of automations: 
- Custom automations that you build yourself.
- Built-in app automations. 

### Custom automations

You can create custom automations in the automation builder of a site's dashboard. 
When you create a new custom automation, you have the option of selecting and editing a suggested automation flow, or creating a new one from scratch.

When you build a new automation from scratch, you select triggers and actions from the selection panels. Available triggers depend on the apps installed on the site, and available actions depend on the trigger you select. 

To extend automation capabilities, you can create custom triggers and custom actions. With custom triggers and actions, you can enhance your automation by adding customized code. Learn more about [custom triggers](https://dev.wix.com/docs/develop-websites-sdk/code-your-site/build-a-custom-backend/automations/about-custom-triggers.md) and [custom actions](https://dev.wix.com/docs/develop-websites-sdk/code-your-site/build-a-custom-backend/automations/about-custom-actions.md). 

To further enhance your automations you can: 
- [Add multiple paths and actions](https://support.wix.com/en/article/the-new-automation-builder-creating-a-multi-action-automation).
- [Implement conditions before an action executes](https://support.wix.com/en/article/the-new-automation-builder-understanding-conditions-operators).
- [Add custom local variables to store and reuse data](https://support.wix.com/en/article/wix-automations-setting-up-and-using-variables).
- [Delay executing an action for a specified time period](https://support.wix.com/en/article/wix-automations-adding-a-delay-in-automations).


### App automations
Wix provides built-in [app automations](https://support.wix.com/en/article/new-automations-builder-viewing-and-managing-automations-installed-for-you) based on the apps installed on a site.
App automations have limited editing capabilities: 
- Triggers can't be replaced or edited. 
- Actions can be edited but not added or replaced. 
Additional editing limitations depend on the app provider. 

## Common use cases

Automations can be useful in scenarios such as:
- Sending welcome emails when visitors sign up.
- Updating inventory when orders are placed.
- Scheduling recurring tasks.
- Syncing data between systems.
- Notifying team members of important events.
- Processing payments or subscriptions.

## Automations vs scheduled jobs

Both automations and scheduled jobs can run tasks on a schedule.

**Use automations with scheduled triggers when:**
- You need simple, recurring schedules. For example, daily, weekly, monthly, or specific days of the week. 
- You want to configure schedules in the dashboard UI.
- Your workflow includes multiple actions or conditions.

**Use [scheduled jobs](https://dev.wix.com/docs/develop-websites/articles/workspace-tools/developer-tools/recurring-jobs/about-scheduling-recurring-jobs.md) when:**
- You need complex scheduling with cron expressions. For example, every 15 minutes or on the first Monday of each month. 
- You want to define and manage schedules directly in your code.

## See also

- [About Custom Triggers](https://dev.wix.com/docs/develop-websites-sdk/code-your-site/build-a-custom-backend/automations/about-custom-triggers.md)
- [Add a Custom Trigger](https://dev.wix.com/docs/develop-websites-sdk/code-your-site/build-a-custom-backend/automations/add-a-custom-trigger.md)
- [About Custom Actions](https://dev.wix.com/docs/develop-websites-sdk/code-your-site/build-a-custom-backend/automations/about-custom-actions.md)
- [Add a Custom Action](https://dev.wix.com/docs/develop-websites-sdk/code-your-site/build-a-custom-backend/automations/add-a-custom-action.md)