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

# Glossary

> Short definitions of the terms used across the ADOS docs: nodes, profiles, roles, pairing, reach, cloud posture, extensions and more.

Short definitions of the terms used across these docs. Plugin authors will find SDK and manifest terms in the [Plugin glossary](/developers/glossary).

## Nodes and profiles

**Agent.** The ADOS software that runs on a Linux or macOS computer: native Rust services plus a Python layer. The Drone Agent and the Ground Agent are the same agent installed with different profiles.

**Node.** Any computer running the agent: a drone's companion computer, a ground station, a workstation or a compute box. Mission Control lists every paired node in its fleet.

**Profile.** What a node is for, chosen at install time: `drone`, `ground_station`, `workstation` or `compute`. It decides which services start. See [Node profiles](/getting-started/node-profiles).

**Ground-station role.** How a `ground_station` node takes part in receiving video: `direct` (a single ground station with its own radio, the default), `relay` (forwards what its radio hears to a receiver) or `receiver` (combines what relays send it). See [Mesh overview](/ground-agent/mesh-overview).

**Board profile.** A description of one supported single-board computer (serial ports, camera paths, GPIO and capabilities) that the agent picks by detecting the board. See [Supported hardware](/drone-agent/supported-hardware).

**Tier.** A number from 1 to 4 that ranks a board's compute class. Its only use is the plugin manifest's `min_tier`, which keeps an extension off boards below that tier. See [HAL and tiers](/drone-agent/hal-and-tiers).

## Apps and surfaces

**Mission Control.** The ADOS ground control station, in the browser or as a desktop app. See [Mission Control overview](/mission-control/overview).

**Android GCS.** The native ground control station app for Android phones and tablets. See [Android GCS](/android/overview).

**Cockpit.** Two things share the name. In Mission Control, **Cockpit** is the per-node tab you fly from. On a node, the agent serves its own on-box cockpit at `/cockpit/` on port 8080. See [Cockpit](/mission-control/cockpit).

**Skill.** One action in the cockpit's **Skill bar**, such as **Arm**, take off, land or return home. **Arm** asks for confirmation before it enables the motors.

**Demo mode.** Mission Control running with a simulated fleet and no hardware. See [Dashboard](/mission-control/dashboard).

**SITL.** Software in the loop: the autopilot firmware running as a simulator on a computer, which Mission Control can connect to like a real flight controller. See [SITL testing](/mission-control/sitl-testing).

**MCP.** The Model Context Protocol. The ADOS MCP server lets AI assistants read from and act on your nodes with scoped permissions. See [MCP server](/developers/mcp-server).

## Links and connections

**Pairing.**

<Note>
  ADOS uses "pairing" for three separate things. A ground station normally needs the first two.

  * **Mission Control pairing** gives one Mission Control owner an API key for the node. See [Pairing](/drone-agent/pairing).
  * **Air-link pairing** (WFB-ng bind) exchanges radio keys between a drone and a ground station. See [WFB-ng pairing](/drone-agent/wfb-pairing).
  * **Mesh pairing** joins a relay to a receiver in a ground mesh. See [Build a mesh](/ground-agent/mesh-setup#mesh-pairing).
</Note>

**Air link, WFB-ng.** The long-range digital radio link between a drone and a ground station, built on WFB-ng. See [WFB-ng](/drone-agent/wfb-ng).

**Distributed receive, mesh.** Several ground stations working together: relays forward what their radios hear over a batman-adv mesh to a receiver, which combines it into one stream. See [Mesh overview](/ground-agent/mesh-overview).

**Reach, bearer.** The path Mission Control uses to talk to a node, shown on each node: **Direct · LAN** (same network), **WFB · via** a ground station, **Cloud relay** (through the MQTT broker) or **Direct FC** (USB to the flight controller).

**Cloud posture.** Whether a node uses a cloud backend: **Local only** (the default; no cloud), **Altnautica cloud**, or **Self-hosted** (your own servers). See [Cloud relay](/drone-agent/cloud-relay).

**PIC.** Pilot in command. On a ground station, the arbiter decides which connected client holds the flight controls at any time, so two operators never fly at once.

## Extensions and security

**Extension, plugin.** "Extension" is the operator-facing name for an installable add-on, as in Mission Control's **Extensions** settings. "Plugin" is the developer-facing name for the same package: the `.adosplug` file, the plugin host and the `ados plugin` CLI. See [Extensions catalog](/drone-agent/extensions-catalog).

**Capability, permission.** A named right an extension requests in its manifest, such as reading telemetry or sending flight commands. The operator grants permissions at install. See [Permissions](/developers/permissions).

**Signer, first-party.** Every extension is signed. The signer is the key that signed it; first-party extensions are signed by Altnautica and may use runtime modes other extensions cannot. See [Signing keys](/developers/signing-keys).

**Black Box store.** The agent's on-node log store. It ships off; until you turn it on, the systemd journal is the log of record. See [Black Box](/drone-agent/black-box).

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Node profiles" icon="layer-group" href="/getting-started/node-profiles">
    The four profiles and what each one runs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="How ADOS works" icon="gears" href="/getting-started/how-it-works">
    How the parts connect.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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