Welcome to the Concepts section of the Squirrel Servers Manager documentation. This area is designed to help you understand the fundamental ideas and mental models that power SSM.
In a Nutshell (🌰)
Understanding these core concepts will help you get the most out of SSM and make better decisions about how to structure your server management workflow.
Why Mental Models Matter
Mental models are simplified representations of how something works. Having the right mental models for SSM helps you:
- Make better decisions about how to organize your infrastructure
- Troubleshoot problems more effectively
- Take full advantage of SSM's capabilities
- Communicate more clearly with other users and contributors
Core Concepts
🏗️ Architecture Overview
Understand how SSM's components work together to provide a seamless management experience.
🔌 Agentless Operation
Learn how SSM manages servers without requiring agent software to be installed.
💻 Device Data Model
Explore how SSM represents and tracks devices in your infrastructure.
🔒 Security Model
Discover how SSM secures connections and protects sensitive information.
🧩 Plugin System
Learn about SSM's extensible plugin architecture for adding new capabilities.
Mental Models
Understanding these mental models will help you work more effectively with SSM:
💻 Device Model
How SSM represents and manages servers, VMs, and other computing resources.
📦 Container Model
How containers are deployed, managed, and monitored across your infrastructure.
🔄 Automation Model
How automations are structured to respond to events and perform actions.
📋 Playbooks Model
How Ansible playbooks are used for configuration management and orchestration.
How These Concepts Work Together
In SSM, these concepts work together to create a cohesive management experience:
- Devices form the foundation of your infrastructure
- Containers run on devices to provide isolated application environments
- Playbooks configure devices and services consistently
- Automations respond to events and perform actions across your infrastructure
- The Plugin System extends SSM's capabilities for specific needs
Understanding how these concepts interact will help you build a more effective server management workflow.