# Sources (/docs/sources)

Sources is the organizational view of where your data comes from. Every connected platform feeds messages, posts, comments, and reviews into your inbox, and Sources shows that flow broken down three ways: by **platform** (X, Discord, Instagram, and so on), by **channel** (the specific server, page, or community within a platform), and by **role** (how community members are distributed). It answers "where are conversations happening, how much is flowing in, and how is it being handled?"

This is the conceptual, cross-platform view. For connecting and configuring an individual platform, see [Integrations](/docs/integrations).

## At a glance [#at-a-glance]

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Platforms: every connected platform compared side by side | ✅ |
| Channels: per-channel activity (server, page, community) | ✅ |
| Volume, incoming vs outgoing, analysis rate, action rate | ✅ |
| Content / Users toggle: message-level vs people-level metrics | ✅ |
| Detailed / Aggregated toggle for long date ranges | ✅ |
| Role Distribution | Discord only |
| Connecting / configuring a platform | ❌ see [Integrations](/docs/integrations) |

{/* screenshot */}
<figure>
  <img src="/assets/screenshots/sources/overview.png" alt="The Sift Sources view showing activity broken down by connected platform." />
  <figcaption>The Sources view - connected platforms compared side by side.</figcaption>
</figure>

## What's in here [#whats-in-here]

<Cards>
  <Card href="/docs/sources/platforms" title="Platforms">
    Compare every connected platform side by side - volume, direction, analysis rate, and action rate.
  </Card>
  <Card href="/docs/sources/channels" title="Channels">
    Drill into individual channels within each platform: servers, pages, communities, and workspaces.
  </Card>
  <Card href="/docs/sources/role-distribution" title="Role Distribution">
    For Discord: how members are distributed across server roles, and how that shifts over time.
  </Card>
</Cards>

## Who uses this [#who-uses-this]

Managers, community leads, and admins who want to understand the shape of incoming activity: which platforms carry the most volume, where the team is keeping up, and how engaged each community is. To set a platform up in the first place, head to [Integrations](/docs/integrations).