Understanding Entities

What is an Entity?

Hydris uses an Entity Component System (ECS) architecture where entities are flexible, composable containers whose meaning and behavior emerge from the components they contain.

An entity is nothing more than an ID with a collection of components. There is no rigid type system or class hierarchy.

Core Concept: Emergence over Classification

Instead of defining strict types like "Sensor" or "Detection", Hydris uses a compositional approach:

• Entities are universal containers identified by a unique string ID
• Components define capabilities, attributes, or characteristics
• Meaning emerges from which components are present

What something "is" depends on what components it has:

• An entity with geo and symbol becomes a map marker
• An entity with geo and taskable becomes an asset that can perform actions
• An entity with detection and bearing becomes a sensor detection
• An entity with track becomes a fused track from multiple sensors
• An entity with camera becomes a video feed

There is no type field. The system doesn't enforce semantics. Clients interpret meaning based on component presence.

Why This Matters

This architecture enables:

1. Flexibility - Add new capabilities without changing schemas
2. Composability - Mix and match components to create exactly what you need
3. Extensibility - Different systems can interpret entities differently
4. Simplicity - One unified data model instead of dozens of types

It is entirely plausible and intended to have entities that have no visual representation, such as raw sensor detections or task assignments.

Next Steps

• Create your first entity
• Component reference