What does a 'for each' component operate on in Mule applications?

The 'for each' component in Mule applications is designed to operate on iterable collections. This means it can process each element within a collection one at a time, allowing for effective looping through various data types that implement the iterable interface.

When using the 'for each' component, you can handle complex data structures such as arrays, lists, or any custom collection that supports iteration. This functionality is essential in many integration scenarios where you want to perform operations on multiple items, such as transforming data, calling APIs, or processing records in bulk.

The other options do not align with the capabilities of the 'for each' component. For example, while it can certainly handle JSON data if it is structured as an iterable collection, it is not limited to just JSON. Static variables and database records typically do not fall under iterable collections, as the former relates to application-level constants, and the latter requires database-specific connectors to fetch records into a collection format that 'for each' can iterate over. Thus, the component's core functionality focuses on iterables, reinforcing its role in processing multiple items seamlessly within a Mule application.