Entity Platform Admin Console

Developer Handbook

This documentation pack describes how to build a web-based admin console that can create, update, validate, publish, and manage a Universal Entity Platform model at runtime.

The goal is to let a new application start with an empty or minimal entity model and then configure its domain through a controlled web UI:

• entity types,
• property groups,
• property definitions,
• tag groups,
• relationship types,
• templates,
• hierarchy rules,
• validation rules,
• permissions,
• generated CRUD APIs,
• and metadata-assisted frontend screens.

This is not a drag-and-drop website builder. It is a developer-grade model administration layer that gives application teams a safe and scalable way to configure the entity platform without creating migrations and bespoke CRUD code for every new concept.

Core Idea

The platform separates three layers:

Runtime Data
    entities, property values, tag assignments, relationships

Model Metadata
    entity types, property definitions, tag groups, relationship definitions, templates

Application Logic
    routes, services, workflows, permissions, integrations, custom UI

The Admin Console manages the model metadata. The application uses that metadata to power consistent APIs, forms, tables, filters, validation, and governance.

Intended Audience

This pack is for developers building the platform.

It can also help technical stakeholders understand how runtime customization will work safely.

Document Map

Document	Purpose
01 Vision and Scope	Defines what the Admin Console is and is not.
02 Concepts	Explains configurable model concepts.
03 Runtime Configuration Model	Explains draft/published model metadata.
04 Data Model Extensions	Tables needed for model administration.
05 API Surface	Hono/Zod/contract-driven API design.
06 Backend Use Cases	Service/use-case operations and invariants.
07 Frontend Architecture	Admin UI architecture using React and TanStack.
08 UX Flows	Key screens and user journeys.
09 Validation and Safety	Rules, publishing gates, and safety checks.
10 Permissions and Governance	Admin permissions, root scope, and audit.
11 Generated CRUD API	How runtime metadata powers generic CRUD safely.
12 Testing Strategy	Tests for schema, use cases, UI, and model evolution.
13 Roadmap	Suggested implementation phases.
Glossary	Key terms.

Recommended Build Order

1. Implement read-only model metadata browser.
2. Add CRUD for entity types.
3. Add property groups and property definitions.
4. Add validation and publishing workflow.
5. Add templates.
6. Add relationship definitions.
7. Add generated CRUD endpoints for entities.
8. Add model-driven forms and tables.
9. Add permissions, audit, rollback, and import/export.

Design Principle

The Admin Console should make common domain modelling work easy while keeping the platform safe, inspectable, auditable, and developer-owned.