Robot terminology

Definitions of the terms used across the UiPath Robot 2026.10 admin guide, each paired with the term it is most often confused with.

Each term has one meaning in this guide. Where two terms are often mixed up, the last column names the one it is not.

Term	Definition	Not to be confused with
Agent slot	Capacity on a machine template for one concurrent agent job on each connected machine.	Runtime
Attended automation	Automation a person starts and supervises on their own machine, using their own credentials.	Unattended automation
Executor	The part of Unified Runtime that runs one kind of workload: the .NET executor for RPA processes and test cases, executor packages for agents, functions, and API workflows.	Unified Runtime
Function slot	Capacity on a machine template for one concurrent function or API workflow job on each connected machine. Doesn't apply when Use Production (Unattended) is selected on the machine template.	Runtime
Install mode	How the Robot is installed on a machine: service mode or user mode.	Attended automation
Machine object	Orchestrator's record of one or more machines: a machine template or a standard machine, with its runtimes and slots.	Robot host
Robot account	The Orchestrator identity a robot runs and connects as.	UiPath Robot
Robot host	The machine the Robot runs on.	Machine object
Runtime	A license that lets one unattended RPA or test job run at a time on a machine.	Unified Runtime, runtime type
Runtime type	The choice Orchestrator makes for a job: which license or capacity it runs on, such as Production (Unattended), Testing, or Local.	Runtime
Service mode	A per-machine installation with the Unattended robot type, in which the Robot runs as a Windows service. Used for unattended automation, and for attended automation on the same machine.	User mode
UiPath Platform Installer	The installer that installs and updates Studio, Robot, Assistant, and browser extensions, and keeps them on an update channel.	Update channel
UiPath Robot	The execution layer of the UiPath Platform. It runs the jobs Orchestrator dispatches.	Robot host, robot account
Unattended automation	Automation that runs without a person present, started by Orchestrator, a trigger, or another automation.	Attended automation
Unified Runtime	The Robot's single runtime. It runs every workload, handing each job to the executor that workload needs.	Runtime
Units	Consumption currency: Platform Units in Unified Pricing, Agent Units in Flex.	Runtime
Update channel	The release line a machine follows: Community, Enterprise STS, or an Enterprise LTS line such as 26.10.	Install mode
User mode	An installation without the Robot Windows service, in which the Robot runs in the signed-in user's session, for attended automation. A per-user installation, or a per-machine installation with the Attended robot type.	Service mode
Workload	The kind of job the Robot runs: an RPA process, a test case, an agent, a function, or an API workflow.	Robot host

For the platform-wide glossary, refer to the UiPath glossary.