Core concepts
Device
An internet-connected, single-board computer running balenaOS and provisioned with the balena platform.
Release
A snapshot of code collected into one or more Docker images.
Fleet
A group of devices sharing the same releases, variables, configuration, settings and members.
Service
A component of a release, packaged into a Docker image and run as a container.
Device supervisor
Balena's agent on the device, responsible for managing fleet updates and reporting device status.
BalenaOS image
A versioned build of the host OS, specific to a fleet and device type.
Base image
A specific combination of a Linux distribution and additional packages, used as the base operating environment for a service.