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

# How an installation is put together

> The two kinds of resource an Element Labs installation contains and why the split matters to you.

An Element Labs installation contains two kinds of resource: one shared resource, and one directory
per product you bought.

## The shared resource

`element_sdk` is installed once and used by every product. It is what makes products behave the same
way as each other: the same file layout, the same way of reading configuration, the same console
messages, the same connections to the framework and inventory you already run.

Products do not carry their own copy of it. They use the installed one at runtime, which is why
updating `element_sdk` reaches every product at once, and why the SDK must be running before any
product starts.

See [The Element SDK](/sdk/index) for what you configure through it.

## Product resources

Each product is one directory containing everything it needs: the files you configure, the text
players see, its interface, and any models or textures it adds to the world. What is inside is
described in [What is inside a product resource](/concepts/resources).

Each product states the SDK versions it accepts rather than one exact version, so an SDK update
inside that range needs no action from you. See [SDK version
requirements](/sdk/compatibility).

## What the split means in practice

* You install one SDK and any number of products beside it.
* You update the SDK independently of the products.
* Two products never disagree about how configuration works, because neither of them implements it.
* A product that cannot find a suitable SDK stops at start rather than failing later.

## Related

* [What is inside a product resource](/concepts/resources)
* [Releases and versions](/concepts/releases)
* [Install a product](/getting-started/installation)