# Architecture

URL: /bengal/docs/0.5.1/reference/architecture/
Section: architecture
Tags: architecture, overview, design, systems, components

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Architecture Overview Bengal is organized as a set of small subsystems with clear boundaries. Use this section to orient yourself and then jump to the specific subsystem you are changing. How to use this section Start with the overview diagram on this page. Use the cards to jump to a subsystem. Prefer subsystem pages over repeating context here. Bengal Rosette Core Architecture Data models and build coordination Arrow Clockwise Rendering Pipeline How Bengal transforms Markdown to HTML List Subsystems Specialized feature subsystems Terminal Tooling & CLI Developer tools, CLI, server, and configuration Tag Meta & Operations Performance, testing, and project structure High-Level Architecture graph TB subgraph "Entry Points" CLI[CLI<br/>bengal/cli/] Server[Dev Server<br/>bengal/server/] end subgraph "Core Build Pipeline" Discovery[Discovery<br/>bengal/content/discovery/] Orchestration[Orchestration<br/>bengal/orchestration/] Rendering[Rendering<br/>bengal/rendering/] PostProcess[Post-Processing<br/>bengal/postprocess/] end subgraph "Object Model" Site[Site<br/>bengal/core/site/] Pages[Pages<br/>bengal/core/page/] Sections[Sections<br/>bengal/core/section/] Assets[Assets<br/>bengal/core/asset/] Menus[Menus<br/>bengal/core/menu.py] NavTree[NavTree<br/>bengal/core/nav_tree.py] end subgraph "Contracts" Protocols[Protocols<br/>bengal/protocols/] end subgraph "Supporting Systems" Cache[Build Cache<br/>bengal/cache/] Health[Health Checks<br/>bengal/health/] Autodoc[Autodoc<br/>bengal/autodoc/] Config[Config<br/>bengal/config/] Analysis[Analysis<br/>bengal/analysis/] Fonts[Fonts<br/>bengal/fonts/] Collections[Collections<br/>bengal/collections/] ContentLayer[Content Layer<br/>bengal/content/sources/] Output[CLI Output<br/>bengal/output/] Debug[Debug Tools<br/>bengal/debug/] end CLI --> Site Server --> Site Site --> Discovery Discovery --> Pages Discovery --> Sections Discovery --> Assets Site --> Orchestration Orchestration --> Menus Orchestration --> Rendering Site --> NavTree Sections -.->|"builds from"| NavTree Menus -.->|"used by"| Rendering NavTree -.->|"used by"| Rendering Rendering --> PostProcess Cache -.->|"cache checks"| Orchestration Health -.->|"post-build validation"| Orchestration Autodoc -.->|"generates"| Pages Config -.->|"configuration"| Site Analysis -.->|"analyzes"| Site Fonts -.->|"font files"| Orchestration Fonts -.->|"social cards"| PostProcess Collections -.->|"schema validation"| Discovery ContentLayer -.->|"remote sources"| Collections Output -.->|"terminal output"| CLI Debug -.->|"diagnostics"| Site Protocols -.->|"contracts"| Rendering Protocols -.->|"contracts"| Cache Protocols -.->|"contracts"| Orchestration Key Flows Flow Path Build CLI → Site → Discovery → Orchestration → Rendering → Post-process Dev server Watch → Incremental rebuild → Serve output Template context Site + Page + NavTree → Rendering Quick Links Topic Page Data models (Site, Page, Section) Object Model Build coordination Orchestration Markdown → HTML Rendering Pipeline Interface contracts Protocol Layer Design guidelines Design Principles

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Metadata:
- Author: lbliii
- Word Count: 309
- Reading Time: 2 minutes