---
summary: The mental model behind ScaiAtlas.
title: Concepts
path: concepts
status: published
---

# Concepts

The mental model behind ScaiAtlas. Read these once and the API and SDK will feel obvious.

- [Architecture](/docs/scaiatlas/concepts/architecture) — the moving parts and how a request flows through them.
- [Resource model](/docs/scaiatlas/concepts/resource-model) — namespaces, models, versions, variants, files.
- [Authentication](/docs/scaiatlas/concepts/authentication) — API keys, OAuth, device flow, and the permission model.
- [Storage & distribution](/docs/scaiatlas/concepts/storage-and-distribution) — where bytes live, resumable transfer, and P2P.