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

# Overview

> Technical Design covers the engineering plan — strategy, data model, custom functions, and integrations.

Technical Design covers how the app is built and runs. Two pages live inside Specifications; two more are sidebar cross-links to dedicated areas of Backend.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Strategy" icon="diagram-project" href="/docs/features/specifications/technical-design/strategy">
    Technical strategy with Mermaid diagrams — system overview, architectural principles, data architecture, and more.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Data Model" icon="database" href="/docs/features/specifications/technical-design/data-model">
    The high-level data model summary; full editor lives in Backend → Data Model.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Custom Functions" icon="code" href="/docs/features/backend/custom-functions/overview">
    Cross-link. Custom server logic lives under Backend, not Specifications.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Integrations" icon="plug" href="/docs/features/backend/integrations/overview">
    Cross-link. Third-party connections live under Backend, not Specifications.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## What's actually a spec

Strategy and Data Model are the technical specifications proper. Custom Functions and Integrations appear in the Technical Design sidebar group for navigation convenience, but their content is configured under Backend — that's where credentials, code, and deployment live.

When you change a custom function or an integration, you don't re-run spec generation; you edit it in place and the change applies on the next deployment.

## How technical specs feed generation

Strategy describes the architecture in prose and diagrams — the build agents read it when making structural decisions about the codebase (modular monolith vs. service split, REST vs. GraphQL emphasis, where caching should live). Data Model defines the tables, relationships, and types the backend exposes.

Both feed code generation directly. The Strategy page also stores the Mermaid diagrams Archie's agents reference and humans can read when onboarding to the project.

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Why are Custom Functions and Integrations in the Specifications sidebar if they aren't specs?">
    For navigation. They're closely related to the technical strategy and data model, so the product surfaces them together. The actual configuration and code lives under Backend.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I have a project without a Technical Strategy?">
    Archie always generates a strategy from your plan. You can edit or simplify it; you can't skip it. The strategy is what the build agents use to make architecture-level decisions.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="If I change the data model in Backend, does the spec update?">
    Yes. The Data Model spec page is a synchronized view of the actual data model — edits in either place reflect in both.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>