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Concepts

This chapter builds the mental model. It is the shortest path to understanding why the rest of the system looks the way it does.

PageQuestion it answers
ArchitectureWhat are the moving parts, and how does a request flow through them?
Ownership modelWhat does "user-owned" actually mean, and why is Neutron single-owner by design?
The kernelWhy is the kernel a replaceable package with trusted privileges, and what is a distro?
ApplicationsWhat is an app made of, and what surfaces can it occupy?
LifecycleFrom an empty canister to a running app: what happens, in order?

If you only read one page, read Architecture.