> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rigbox.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Core concepts

> Understand the resources you create when you deploy on Rigbox.

A **workspace** is a Linux micro-VM with its own kernel, filesystem, and resource allocation. An **app** is a service or CLI tool installed inside a workspace. Several apps can share a workspace.

## From source to a running app

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart LR
    Source[Source and rig.yaml] --> Release[Prepare app release]
    Release --> Health[Activate and check health]
    Health --> App[App running in a workspace]
    App --> Route[Private or public URL]
    App --> Data[Persistent volume]
```

`rig.yaml` describes your app. In v0.13, a normal deployment prepares an **app release** in managed directories, then activates it. The workspace stays in place. An **image deployment** instead prepares a frozen workspace environment; use that path when you need to provision system packages or reproduce the entire runtime.

## Choose the right resource

| Resource          | Use it for                                   | Recovery boundary                           |
| ----------------- | -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| App release       | Source code and application configuration    | Rollback does not revert application data   |
| Workspace image   | Installed runtime and root filesystem        | Re-image replaces the workspace root disk   |
| Persistent volume | Databases, uploads, and other mutable data   | Separate disk; needs its own backup         |
| Snapshot          | A stopped workspace's root disk              | Does not capture attached volumes or memory |
| Recipe            | A versioned, reusable application definition | Publishing is separate from deploying       |

## Choose your next step

* [Deploy your first app](/quickstart) from a working project.
* [Create a workspace](/guides/workspaces) for an interactive development environment.
* [Compare deployment strategies](/reference/rig-yaml/deployment) before migrating an existing app.
* [Build with the API](/build/overview) when another application will manage Rigbox resources.