What are "flow controls" in MuleSoft?

Flow controls in MuleSoft are essential components that determine how data and events move through an application, acting as the framework for the execution order of processes. This includes various functionalities such as routing data to different paths depending on certain conditions and filtering out undesirable elements at any point during the flow execution.

Routers, for example, allow the integration design to direct the message flow based on specified conditions to different endpoints or sub-flows. Filters operate similarly by allowing only messages that meet certain criteria to proceed through the flow, thus controlling and ensuring that only relevant data is processed.

Understanding flow controls is crucial for an architect, as they significantly impact the efficiency, performance, and clarity of the integration logic, helping ensure that the application behaves as intended under different scenarios.