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Core Concepts

Anchorline combines append-only entries with flexible hierarchies. Understanding these concepts helps you model any workflow.

Ledgers and entries

  • A ledger is a container for entries. It can represent a budget, inventory list, collection, or anything you need to track.
  • An entry is immutable. Instead of editing existing entries, you append a new one that references the change.

Balance ledgers

Use balances when you track quantities that move up or down. Each entry includes direction (credit or debit), amount, and optional metadata. Balance ledgers maintain running totals and snapshots.

Typical balance ledger examples

  • Budget envelopes and cost centers
  • Quotas, credits, or internal chargebacks
  • Energy usage, carbon offsets, or other measurable resources

Collection ledgers

Collections track discrete items. Each entry represents an item or a mutation applied to that item (for example, adding a tag or updating a note). You can define custom fields with validation rules.

Typical collection examples

  • Inventory items with condition, owner, and storage metadata
  • Bookmarks with URL, description, and tag arrays
  • Recipes, ingredients, or product catalogs

Child ledgers

Child ledgers inherit the append-only behavior and link to parent ledgers. Parents show aggregate metrics while keeping each child’s history separate. Re-parenting a child ledger preserves its entries.

Workspace
└── Projects (Collection)
    ├── Project A (Balance)
    │   └── Expenses (Balance)
    └── Research Library (Collection)

Deterministic exports

Exports include schema descriptors, ledger IDs, and item IDs. Run exports on a schedule to sync with data warehouses or build automations. Because entries are append-only, you can diff exports reliably.

Audit timeline

Every change is timestamped and attributed to the actor. Filters let you focus on a subset of the ledger while still seeing related entries. This audit trail is key for compliance and collaborative work.

Next steps

  • Dive into recipes for practical setups.
  • Explore the API (alpha) to automate imports and exports.
← Inventory Tracking Collections and Tags →