# Parts

> Add parts to a map, name them, say what they're built with, and move, select and delete them.

A part is anything you’d point at on a whiteboard when you explain your system: the people who use it, an app, a gateway, a service, a queue, a database, or, inside a service, an endpoint or a module. Its kind tells Flozu how it behaves, such as whether it can run out of room or hold work in a queue.

## Try it

Draw the start of a shop’s checkout:

1. On an empty map, with the pointer over the canvas, press `P` for a person. Double-click its name and call it “Shoppers”.

2. Press `S` to the right of it for a service, and call it “Orders API”. Then press `D` to the right again for a database, “Orders DB”.

3. Drag from the right edge of each part to the next to connect them.

![Three parts on an empty canvas, Shoppers, Orders API and Orders DB, joined left to right by two lines.](https://docs.flozu.app/_astro/first-parts-light.CHF90DTt_Z2pGQw.webp)

## Kinds of part

Flozu has 28 kinds of part, grouped as the library groups them:

| Family           | Kinds                                                             |
| ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| People and apps  | Person, Client app                                                |
| The way in       | DNS, CDN, Firewall, Gateway, Sign-in, Load balancer, Rate limiter |
| Compute          | Service, Worker, Function, Scheduler, AI model                    |
| Messaging        | Queue, Topic                                                      |
| Data             | Database, Cache, Search, Storage, Data warehouse                  |
| Inside a service | Endpoint, Module, Code file, Interface, Library, Table            |
| Anything else    | Custom part                                                       |

[Part kinds](https://docs.flozu.app/reference/part-kinds.md) lists each one with its key, if it has one, and what it’s for. Most kinds for inside a service have no key; add them from the library or by searching.

## Add a part

There are four ways, so use whichever is closest to hand:

- **Press its key** with the pointer over the canvas: `S` for a service, `D` for a database, `Q` for a queue. The part appears under the pointer.
- **Drag it from the library** (**Add parts** on the map’s menu down the left) onto the canvas, or click it to add it mid-screen.
- **Double-click empty canvas** and search for it.
- **Drop a line on empty canvas.** Flozu suggests the parts that usually come next (a database or a queue after a service) and adds the one you pick already connected.

A new part settles into place with a soft orange ring, and a new line glows orange for a moment, so you can see where they landed. The selected part has an orange edge and a soft glow.

The library’s **Presets** shelf has 117 parts ready to go, such as Cloudflare DNS or a Redis cache. See [start from a preset](https://docs.flozu.app/guides/looks.md#start-from-a-preset).

## Describe it

Select a part, and its **About** tab in the inspector holds what it is:

- **Name.** Or double-click the name on the card to rename it in place.
- **Kind.** Change it any time. A kind decides how a part behaves, such as which limits it can have, but not how it has to look.
- **Technology.** What it’s built with or bought from, such as PostgreSQL or Stripe. Pick from the suggestions or type anything. When Flozu knows the technology, its logo becomes the part’s mark.
- **Run by.** **Us**, or **Someone else** for a part another company runs, such as a payment provider. A part someone else runs has a dashed outline.
- **Notes.** Anything a reader should know about it.

The caption above a card says its kind and technology, such as “Database · PostgreSQL”.

## How a card reads

Every part is a card. Its header shows its mark and name, and its panel shows a small live drawing of what it does, with one figure underneath, such as a database’s queries a second or a queue’s size. Its ports sit halfway down: in on the left, out on the right, so a map reads left to right.

Change how a part looks, from its card to its drawing and size, in its **Look** tab. See [make it look right](https://docs.flozu.app/guides/looks.md).

## Select, move and delete

- **Select** a part by clicking it. Hold `⌘` (or `Ctrl`) to add to the selection, or drag across empty canvas with `Shift` held to select an area.
- **Move** what’s selected by dragging it, or a grid step at a time with the arrow keys.
- **Delete** what’s selected with `Delete` or `Backspace`. A part takes its lines with it.
- **Let go** of the selection with `Esc`.

With several things selected, the inspector can put them in a zone, style them all at once, or delete them together.

> **Tip**
>
> Every one of these is a single step to undo. Press `⌘Z` (or `Ctrl+Z`) to take it back, however far you dragged.