Catalog Overview

Catalog Architecture

The StackFlow Service Catalog is the self-service interface through which users request IT services. The catalog architecture separates the service definition layer (catalog items with variables and workflows) from the fulfillment layer (assignment groups, approval chains, and tasks). This separation allows catalog items to be updated without impacting in-flight requests.

Catalog items are stored in Aurora PostgreSQL with versioning support — changes to a catalog item create a new version while existing open RITMs continue to use the original version definition. The catalog is rendered as a searchable, filterable grid in the self-service portal.

Catalog Categories

Catalog Item Types

StackFlow supports three catalog item types. Standard Items follow a simple form-submit-fulfill pattern. Multi-stage Items require sequential approvals and tasks from multiple teams. Automated Items trigger a Lambda function or workflow directly, with no human fulfillment required — these are used for cloud resource provisioning, access grants, and similar automated tasks.

Catalog Variables

Catalog item variables are the form fields presented to the user when submitting a request. StackFlow supports text, multi-line text, dropdown, multi-select, date picker, user picker, CI reference, and file upload variable types. Variables can be made mandatory, conditionally visible (based on other variable values), and validated with regex patterns.

{
  "catalog_item": {
    "name": "New Laptop Request",
    "category": "hardware",
    "variables": [
      {"name": "preferred_model", "type": "dropdown", "required": true,
       "options": ["MacBook Pro 14 M4", "Dell XPS 15", "ThinkPad X1 Carbon"]},
      {"name": "business_justification", "type": "textarea", "required": true, "min_length": 50},
      {"name": "current_laptop_age", "type": "number", "required": false, "unit": "years"},
      {"name": "manager_approval", "type": "user_picker", "required": true, "role_filter": "manager"}
    ]
  }
}

Integration with ITSM

When a catalog item is fulfilled, it can optionally create linked records in ITSM. For example, a "New Laptop" fulfillment automatically creates a Change record for the asset tag assignment and a CMDB CI entry. Bidirectional linking ensures the full audit trail is maintained across catalog and ITSM modules.