In the Flow Designer, what component initiates the flow?

In Flow Designer, the component that initiates the flow is the trigger. A trigger is essential as it defines the event that starts the flow execution. Triggers can be based on various events, such as record creation, updates, or even incoming messages within ServiceNow. Once the specified event occurs, the trigger activates the flow, allowing it to progress to the subsequent actions and steps defined within the flow.

Other elements within the Flow Designer play distinct roles: actions represent the tasks that the flow will perform after being triggered, conditions are used to evaluate whether specific criteria are met before proceeding to certain actions, and steps are simply the individual components within the flow that put the actions and conditions into execution. While these components are integral to the flow's functionality, the trigger is the critical starting point that kicks off the entire process.