# The backend your site doesn't have. > Bixlow Functions is server-side code that Bixlow deploys and runs on its own infrastructure, with encrypted secrets, that Bixlow workflows call so a change on the site can read from or send data to other systems without exposing credentials in the browser. - Source: https://bixlow.com/en/platform/functions - Language: en - Publisher: Bixlow Some changes need to talk to a server: your CRM, your inventory, your payment provider. With Functions, the agent writes that code, Bixlow deploys it and your workflows call it, with no backend for you to build or maintain. - **Where it runs:** Bixlow servers - **Credentials:** Encrypted secrets - **How it's used:** Called from a workflow - **Plan:** Premium ## What the browser can't do on its own A change on the page goes as far as the browser goes. The moment it needs an API key or data from another system, the project stalls. ### Keys can't live on the page A CRM or payment provider key placed in the site's JavaScript can be read by anyone who opens the page source. ### A backend for a small integration Sending a lead or checking stock doesn't justify building, deploying and maintaining a server of your own. ### The integration waits on engineering Connecting a form to the CRM joins the ticket queue, and the campaign launches without it. ## From idea to integration A Function is one more piece of the project: it is written, deployed and wired to a workflow. 1. **Describe the integration.** Tell the agent what should happen: for example, send a form's data to your CRM when the visitor submits it. 2. **The agent writes the Function.** The agent writes the server-side code. The keys it needs are stored as encrypted secrets, never on the page. 3. **Bixlow deploys it.** Bixlow deploys the Function to its servers, isolated from other projects' functions, with nothing for you to manage. 4. **Wire it to a workflow.** The workflow calls it when the event happens and uses the response to update the page. Publishing is still your call. ## What you need to talk to other systems Functions covers the server-side part that a change on the site can't handle from the browser. ### Server-side code: Hosted and run by Bixlow Each Function is code that runs on a server, outside the visitor's browser. - No servers to build or maintain. - The agent can write it, and you can test it before publishing. - You can read and edit its code. ### Secrets: Keys encrypted and off the page Your API credentials are stored encrypted and only the Function uses them, on the server. - They never travel to the visitor's browser. - Kept separate from the Function's code. - Managed from the project. ### From workflows: One more piece of your site's logic Workflows call the Function as part of their logic and use the response on the page. - Fired by a click, a form submit or a page load. - The response can update variables and content. - Same history and same approval as the rest of the workflow. ## The agent writes the integration; you decide what gets connected You don't have to write server-side code. The agent writes it and wires it to the workflow, and you control which services and keys come into play. ### You decide - Which system gets connected, and why. - Which keys are stored as secrets. - What data leaves the site and where it goes. - Publishing: nothing reaches your site without your approval. ### The agent does - Writes the Function's code. - Wires it to the workflow's trigger. - Uses the response to update the page. - Asks for what's missing, like the format your API expects. ### A Function in Bixlow - **Use case:** Validate a coupon before applying it - **Trigger:** Coupon form submit - **Function:** Queries the store's API - **Secret:** API key, encrypted - **Result:** Valid or invalid coupon message on the page ## Bixlow Studio: An integration you'd rather not build yourself? Bixlow Studio engineers build custom integrations with Functions on your site, and a strategist makes sure every change is measured. - Integrations with your CRM, payment provider or email tool. - Measurement setup for external checkouts. - Custom features on your site, without touching the theme. ## FAQ ### What can I do with Bixlow Functions? Anything that needs a server: send a lead to your CRM, check a product's stock, validate a coupon, or talk to an email or payments API. ### Where does the code run? On Bixlow's servers, in an environment isolated per project. Bixlow deploys it for you, so you don't manage any servers. ### Are my API keys exposed? No. They are stored as encrypted secrets and only the Function uses them, on the server. They never reach the visitor's browser. ### Do I have to write the code myself? No. The agent can write the Function and wire it to the workflow. If you do code, you can review and edit it. ### Which plan includes Functions? Bixlow Functions is part of the Premium plan. ## Connect your site to what's missing Tell the agent which system you need and review the Function before you publish it.