Glossary

Accepted. A commit that has passed validation and is permanently part of a repository’s history. Acceptance is the point of no return. See System design.

Activation. Making a complete repository the writer that succeeds a retired source, with synck repository activate --source-retired. Its authority becomes LOCAL. See Taking over as the writer.

Archive. A verified backup copy, made with synck archive or synck repository archive. It is another complete repository, without a checkout.

Author. The name recorded on a commit for attribution. It is a label, not an authenticated identity.

Authority. The single writer that accepts an item’s changes and orders them. A complete repository records its local authority as FOLLOWER, INDEPENDENT_LOCAL or LOCAL.

base_seq. The item sequence a change was based on. If the item has moved on since, the change is rejected as stale instead of overwriting newer work.

Blob. The stored bytes of one file version, identified by a blob_id: sha256: followed by the SHA-256 of the bytes.

Body. The stored text of a message, comment or post, identified by a content_id. Encoded with a fixed prefix and a random salt. See How a body is encoded.

Checkout. A repository’s files and folders written to disk for editing. synck init creates a repository with one, and synck repository checkout adds one to a copy. Its authority becomes INDEPENDENT_LOCAL. A partial checkout includes only selected paths.

Checkpoint. A sealed repository sequence, used with --through to read a repository as it was at that point.

Chunked storage. The default storage layout, which splits content into compressed, deduplicated chunks in .synck/object-store.sqlite3. See Storage space.

Closure. The complete set of content objects that a repository’s retained history refers to: every file version, body and attachment, including those of trashed and deleted items. A complete repository contains its whole closure.

Commit. A group of one or more events accepted atomically, with an author, an optional message and a content-addressed ID. Commits name no parent.

Commit ID. The SHA-256 of a commit’s canonical header, which includes a hash of its events. See Commit identity.

Committer. The tool or service that recorded a commit, kept separate from its author. Not part of the commit ID.

Complete repository. A self-contained repository, format 6, holding the entire retained history of every item type and its whole closure. Every Synck repository is complete, whether created with synck init, exported or copied. See Complete repositories.

Event. One recorded change to one item, such as FILE::SET_CONTENT or CHAT::MESSAGE::CREATE, stored in canonical JSON.

Finalize. Completing the follow-up work for a write that was accepted but reported that it needs recovery, with synck repository finalize.

Follower. A complete repository that can be read, verified and copied, but not changed. Every export and copy starts as a follower.

History index. Derived snapshots of repository state at each sealed position, for fast reads of the past. It can be rebuilt with synck fsck --rebuild-state-index.

Item. Anything with a permanent identity and its own history: a file, folder, chat, email, task list, calendar and so on.

Item ID. An item’s permanent identifier, a UUIDv7. It survives renames and moves.

Item sequence (item_seq). An event’s position in its own item’s history. Used to select file versions with --item-seq.

Lifecycle. An item’s state: LIVE, TRASH (deleted and recoverable) or TOMBSTONED (final). History is kept in every state.

Named version. A label on one version of a file, such as 1.00, with a kind (major or minor) and optional description. Stored in the file’s ref ledger. See Named versions.

Non-tree item. An item with no place in the folder tree, such as a chat, post, call, task or calendar. It has no parent folder and no path. Chats have a generated internal name and a separate title. See Tree items and non-tree items.

Profile. The rules that turn an operation on a family of items into canonical events, such as the FILE/FOLDER profile.

Publish. Installing a finished, verified output, such as a copy or an extracted file, at its destination.

Ref ledger. A second history attached to an item, with its own ref_seq, for changes about the item rather than to it, such as named versions.

Repository. A directory with a .synck directory inside, holding history and content, with or without a checkout.

Repository sequence (repo_seq). A commit’s position in a repository’s overall history, assigned after acceptance. May have gaps.

Salt. Random bytes stored with each body so that identical texts get different IDs. Not encryption.

Sealed. An accepted commit that has been given its repository sequence.

Sequencer. The step that assigns repository sequences to accepted commits, in an order that readers can scan without skipping anything.

Subitem. A record inside an item’s history that is not an item of its own, such as a chat message, a reaction or an attachment.

Trash. Where deleted items go. synck deleted lists them, and synck recover brings them back with their identity.

Tree item. An item with a place in the folder tree: a folder, a file, or an application item such as an email or a task list. It has a parent folder (or sits at the top) and a path.

Verification. Rechecking a repository’s history and content against their hashes and rules, with synck fsck or synck repository verify.

Whole-file storage. A storage layout that keeps every file version and body as one plain file in .synck/objects/, named by its SHA-256.

Working tree. The files and folders of a checkout, as they are on disk right now. synck status compares it with the latest commit.

Workspace. In SynckHub, a workspace (also called a case, matter, deal, project or engagement) is a folder that organizes a project. Its role is recorded in its own history, and chats and other non-tree items can be associated with it. See Workspaces.