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Asset glossary ​

This glossary defines the vocabulary for asset identity, persistence, and runtime loading. The asset bounded context is shared by browser and Node.js applications. Scene activation, ECS lifecycle, import processing, and network transport belong to neighboring contexts.

Terms ​

Asset ​

A logical resource used by a project or runtime. An asset keeps its identity when its source or content changes.

Asset ID ​

The stable identity of one asset. Editors and backends create IDs; scenes use them without knowing where the asset is stored.

Asset Kind ​

The persistent category of an asset, such as model, audio, or texture. The kind selects the loading behavior expected for a record.

Asset Type ​

The runtime contract for one asset kind and the value it produces. Code shares one asset type when creating references and registering the matching loader.

Asset Reference ​

A portable statement that a consumer needs an asset with a given ID and type. References belong in scenes, components, saved data, and network messages. They do not contain a storage location.

Asset Record ​

The catalog description of one asset. A record connects its stable ID and kind to a source, with an optional revision.

Asset Catalog ​

The authoritative collection of asset records for one project or session. It resolves references while keeping storage details outside scenes and components.

Asset Source ​

An opaque address understood by a loader. It may represent a project path, URL, filesystem location, database key, or another application-defined scheme.

Asset Revision ​

An optional marker for a particular version of an asset's content. Updating a revision does not change the asset ID.

Asset Manifest ​

The persistent representation of an asset catalog. A manifest can be stored or sent across a boundary without containing loaded runtime values.

Asset Loader ​

The adapter that reads an asset record and produces its runtime value. Loaders own platform-specific I/O and decoding.

Asset Value ​

The in-memory result produced by a loader, such as a decoded model, audio buffer, or text document.

Asset Handle ​

A consumer's synchronous access point to an asset value. A handle also exposes whether the value is unloaded, loading, ready, or failed.

Asset Store ​

The runtime owner of loaded values and in-flight loads. A shared store prevents the same asset from being loaded twice at the same time.

Asset Coordinator ​

The application service that connects references, catalog records, loaders, and the store. It starts explicit single-asset loads and load batches.

Asset Dependency ​

An asset reference required before an operation can continue. The runtime decides which dependencies belong to startup, a scene transition, or dynamic content.

Asset Load Batch ​

One loading operation over a fixed set of dependencies. A batch owns its progress and failures while sharing loaded values with other batches.

Naming boundaries ​

  • Use asset for the logical resource, source for its address, and value for its loaded form.
  • Use asset ID for identity, asset reference for a consumer's need, and asset record for catalog metadata.
  • Use asset kind for persisted categorization and asset type for the runtime value contract.
  • Use catalog for persistent records and store for runtime state.
  • Use loader for I/O and decoding and coordinator for dispatch and loading operations.
  • Use dependency for one required reference and load batch for the operation that waits for a set of dependencies.