The Glide Glossary

These are words you’ll commonly see when you use Glide.

Trying to understand something that's not defined here? Ask us in a message — and we can add it to the list 😄

An event triggered by user interaction or automation—like tapping a button, submitting a form, or opening a screen. Actions can perform tasks such as navigating to another screen, editing data, sending notifications, or running custom logic using conditional branches and multiple steps. A set of actions executed together is referred to as a Workflow.

Keep reading: Introduction to Actions

A Member role in a Glide Team with full access to all apps, settings, and billing information. Admins can invite or remove team members, manage roles, and make changes to team-wide configurations and permissions.

Keep reading: Glide Dashboard

A customizable workflow made up of one or more steps that run when a user interacts with your app. Previously called “Custom Actions,” App Interactions let you define complex logic—like conditionally updating data, navigating to screens, or triggering notifications—based on user behavior.

Keep reading: App Interaction

A column that stores raw data directly in your data source, such as text, numbers, dates, or images. Unlike computed columns, Basic Columns hold fixed values and are not calculated by Glide—they’re typically added or edited manually or through user input.

Keep reading: Basic Columns

The visual development environment where users create and configure their Glide apps. The Builder includes tools for designing screens, managing data, setting up actions, and customizing app settings—all in a real-time, drag-and-drop interface.

Keep reading: Introduction to Layout

An integrated support chat tool available in the Glide Builder and Dashboard that allows users to contact the Glide support team. It provides quick access to help, resources, and conversations with support agents without leaving the app-building environment.

Visual building blocks used to display data and create interactive elements in a Glide app, such as text, images, buttons, lists, and forms. Components are added to screens in the Layout Editor and can be configured to show specific data, trigger actions, or respond to user input.

Keep reading: Introduction to Components

A column in Glide that performs calculations or logic based on other columns in the same row. Computed Columns don’t store data directly—instead, they generate values dynamically using functions like math, conditions, lookups, or relations.

Keep reading: Computed Columns

The central hub where users access and manage all their Glide apps and Teams. From the Dashboard, users can open the Builder, create new apps, view analytics, and manage team settings and billing.

Keep reading: Glide Dashboard

The part of the Glide Builder where users view and manage the data powering their app. The Data Editor displays tables, rows, and columns—including both basic and computed columns—and allows users to create new fields, edit values, and configure relationships between data.

Keep reading: Introduction to Layout

A Data Source in Glide is where your app’s data is stored and accessed. Glide supports both internal data sources, like Glide Tables and Glide Big Tables, and external data sources, such as Google Sheets, Airtable, Excel files, and SQL databases. You can connect one or more data sources to your app, and Glide keeps them in sync to reflect updates.

Keep reading: Introduction to Data Sources

An Experimental Column is a special type of computed column in Glide used to test new or unreleased features. These columns may change or be removed at any time and aren't guaranteed to be stable, so they should be used cautiously in production apps. They allow users to try out advanced logic or early-stage functionality before it’s officially released.

Keep reading: Experimental Code Column

A special type of screen used to collect and submit multiple values at once, typically to add a new row to a table. Form Screens include customizable input components like text fields, choice pickers, and toggles, and all inputs are submitted together when the form is completed. You can also trigger actions upon submission.

Keep reading: Forms

A set of AI-powered features that let you generate, summarize, or transform text using prompts and your app’s data. Glide AI can be used through the AI column in the Data Editor or called within workflows to automate intelligent behavior like writing, classification, and decision-making.

Keep reading: Glide AI

An internal data source built into Glide that stores data natively within your app. Glide Tables are easy to use and tightly integrated with Glide’s features, with a maximum of 25,000 rows.

Keep reading: Glide Tables

A high-performance internal data source designed for apps with large or complex datasets. Glide Big Tables can handle millions of rows and are optimized for scalability, making them suitable for advanced business apps.

Keep reading: Big Tables

Connections between Glide and external services—like Make.com, OpenAI, or Slack—that allow your app to send or receive data, automate workflows, or trigger actions across platforms. Integrations extend your app’s capabilities beyond the core Glide environment.

Keep reading: Integrations

The part of the Glide Builder where you design the user interface of your app by adding, arranging, and configuring components on each screen. The Layout Editor controls how data is displayed and how users interact with the app.

Keep reading: Introduction to Layout

A Glide Table that exists in another app within the same Team and is shared across multiple apps. Linked Glide Tables let you reuse and manage data centrally without duplicating it. For example, rows added in one app will appear in other apps that share the same Linked Tables.

Keep reading: Glide Tables

A workflow step that repeats a set of actions for every row in a specified table or relation. Looping allows you to perform bulk operations—like updating, deleting, or sending messages—across multiple rows in a single workflow execution.

Keep reading: Loops

A secure, one-time-use sign-in link sent to a user’s email that logs them into a Glide app without needing a PIN or password. Magic Links simplify authentication and are especially useful for trusted or repeat users.

Keep reading: Publishing and Sharing

A personal Glide plan designed for individual use, offering core app-building features with limits on usage and data size. The Maker Plan is ideal for solo creators, prototypes, and learning Glide without needing team-level collaboration or enterprise features. Published apps on this plan can only be accessed by Personal Users—email addresses from business or vanity domains are not allowed.

Keep reading: Plans and Pricing

A user who has been invited to a Glide Team and can collaborate on building and managing apps within that team. Members share access to team resources like apps, tables, and integrations. Members of a Glide team cannot access billing or team settings and cannot delete the team.

Keep reading: Glide Dashboard

You can customize your app's identity by editing its icon, title, and logo, ensuring a personalized and branded experience for users.

Keep reading: App Settings

A compact version of the Data Editor that appears at the bottom of the screen while working in the Layout Editor. It allows quick access to view and edit table data without switching away from the UI design view.

Individuals who sign in to a Glide app using a personal (non-business) email address, such as @gmail.com or @yahoo.com. On the Maker Plan, only Personal Users can access published apps—business or vanity domain email addresses are restricted, though educational (.edu) and non-profit domains are allowed.

Keep reading: Personal Users

A PIN Email is a one-time code sent to a user’s email address as part of Glide’s passwordless sign-in method. Users enter the code in the app to verify their identity and log in securely, without needing a traditional password.

Keep reading: App Settings

An app that requires users to sign in before they can view or interact with it. Access can be restricted to specific users or domains, making private apps suitable for internal tools, client portals, or secure workflows.

Keep reading: Security and User Data

A type of web app that behaves like a native mobile app but runs in a browser. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) can be installed on a user’s device and launched in full-screen mode, offering a more app-like experience without requiring distribution through an app store.

An app that anyone can access without having to sign in. Public apps are ideal for open directories, information hubs, or any use case where user authentication isn't required.

Keep reading: Security and User Data

V2 - Labels assigned to users that control access to specific parts of an app and its data. Roles can be used in visibility conditions, filters, and workflows to customize the user experience. When combined with Row Owners, Roles also enforce data security by restricting which rows users can download or view.

Keep reading: Roles

A data privacy feature that restricts access to rows based on the signed-in user. When a column is set as a Row Owner, only users whose email or role matches the value in that column can download or view the corresponding row of data.

Keep reading: Row Owners

A view in your app that displays components and data to the user. Screens can be tied to a specific table or relation, and they change dynamically based on the data being viewed or the user interacting with the app.

Keep reading: Screen Types

A section in the Glide app Builder that allows you to configure global options for their app. This includes app information (like name & icon), appearance, access settings, integrations,sign-in methods, and more. The Settings tab ensures the app functions correctly and securely for its intended audience.

Keep reading: App Settings

An authentication method that allows users to sign in to a Glide app using their organization’s identity provider (such as Microsoft Entra or Okta). Available only on Enterprise plans, Single Sign-On (SSO) simplifies login and enhances security by centralizing user authentication.

Keep reading: Single Sign-On

Individual actions that run in sequence for each item in a loop. Steps can include tasks like updating values, sending notifications, or triggering integrations, and they execute once per row in the looped data set.

Keep reading: Introduction to Workflows

The space used to store files uploaded to your app—such as images, documents, or videos. Storage is included with your Glide plan and is subject to limits depending on the plan tier; all files are stored securely on Glide’s servers.

Keep reading: Files

A set of data organized into rows and columns, similar to a spreadsheet. Tables power the content and behavior of your app and can be stored in Glide Tables, Big Tables, or connected external sources.

Keep reading: Introduction to Layout

A shared workspace where members can collaborate on building and managing Glide apps. Teams make it easy to work together on app design, data, and settings in a centralized environment.

Keep reading: Teams

A pre-built Glide app that can be duplicated and customized for your own use. Glide offers free templates, paid templates created by experts in the Template Store, and private templates that users can create and share internally with colleagues or friends. Templates provide a starting point with ready-made layouts, data, and logic.

Keep reading: Templates

Defines when a workflow runs, based on a specific event. Triggers may include things like App Interactions, Webhooks, Emails, Slack messages, or Scheduled times.

Keep reading: Introduction to Workflows

A menu option that disconnects a table—such as a Linked Glide Table, Airtable table, or Excel table—from the current app. Unlinking removes the table from the app but does not delete it from the source or improve syncing performance with external data sources.

Keep reading: Glide Tables

Units that measure how often your app syncs or modifies data—such as adding, editing, or deleting rows, or calling external services. Updates are metered based on your plan and help track how much activity your app generates.

Keep reading: Updates

A dashboard view that shows how much of your app’s allocated resources—such as updates, rows, and users—have been used. Usage helps you monitor limits based on your Glide plan and optimize performance.

Keep reading: Usage

A person who has signed in to your published app. Users can be identified by their email address, linked to a User Profile, and granted personalized experiences or access based on roles and data visibility rules.

Keep reading: Users

A record associated with each signed-in user, typically stored in a user table, that contains personal details like name, email, profile photo, and role. User Profiles enable personalization and data filtering throughout the app.

Keep reading: User Profiles

A special column type that stores data unique to each signed-in user, even though it appears in a shared row. User-specific columns allow private user interactions—like individual toggle states or form entries—without affecting what other users see.

Keep reading: User-specific Columns

Someone who accesses a public Glide app without signing in. Visitors can view and interact with the app as allowed, but because they aren’t authenticated, they don’t count as Users for billing or analytics purposes.

Keep reading: Users

A series of actions that run in response to a trigger. Workflows can include logic, conditions, and loops, and are used to automate tasks like updating data, sending notifications, or integrating with external services.

Keep reading: Introduction to Workflows