---
title: Terminology
index: 100
---

# Terminology

Some useful Spacedrive related terminology.

### `Library`

A Library is the database that powers Spacedrive, in which all the metadata and directory structures are saved. Libraries can be synced between devices and a user can have multiple libraries loaded in the Spacedrive app at once. [Learn more →](/docs/developers/architecture/libraries)

### `Object`

Objects are a fancy name for files, we call them Objects because we identify them uniquely based on a cryptographic hash of the contents. Objects in Spacedrive can come in a wide variety of kinds to provide a broad range of context. [Learn more →](/docs/developers/architecture/objects)

### `Location`

Locations are places Spacedrive will look for files, usually a directory on a mounted volume, but could also be a cloud service. [Learn more →](/docs/developers/architecture/locations)

### `Node`

A Node is a device or server running an instance of the Spacedrive core. Nodes can host libraries and communicate with other Nodes to sync data. [Learn more →](/docs/developers/architecture/nodes)

### `Preview Media`

Preview media refers to highly compressed image or video content for an Object. It is generated by Spacedrive and synced between your devices. [Learn more →](/docs/developers/architecture/preview-media)

### `File Path`

The path to a file on a filesystem, for example `/home/user/Documents/file.txt` or `C:\Users\user\Documents\file.txt`. In Spacedrive these are either relative to the local filesystem or to a Location.

### `Volume`

A Volume is a physical storage device or cloud service that Spacedrive accounts for. They often have a finite amount of storage capacity. [Learn more →](/docs/developers/architecture/volumes)

### `Space`

A Space is a virtual storage container that can be used to organize and share files. Spaces are be collaberative and shared with other users. [Learn more →](/docs/developers/architecture/spaces)
