# Core Concepts

> How accounts, filesystems, content-addressed files, roles, sync and API keys fit together — the model behind everything else in these docs.

This page explains the key ideas behind Hyperfile.

## Accounts

An account is your identity on Hyperfile. Each account has an email address, profile, and a set of team members and roles.

## Filesystems

A filesystem is a collection of files and folders. Each filesystem:

- Has its own root directory
- Is pinned to the data-residency region chosen when it is created — United States, Canada, the European Union or Asia-Pacific — for its lifetime (see [Pricing](/pricing.md) for where each region stores files)
- Has independent permissions and settings
- Tracks version history for all files

You can create as many filesystems as your plan allows.

## Files and Folders

Files in Hyperfile are content-addressed — each file version is identified by its content hash, a CRC-64/NVME of its bytes. This means:

- Duplicate files are stored only once
- Uploads are fast because unchanged files are skipped
- Version history is efficient

Folders are organizational containers. They can be nested to any depth.

## Permissions

Hyperfile uses role-based access control:

- **Owner** — Full control, including billing and member management
- **Admin** — Manage filesystems and members, but not billing
- **Member** — Upload, download, and manage files

## Sync

The CLI sync engine compares your local file tree with the remote and transfers only the differences. This makes syncing fast even for large directories.

## API Keys

API keys provide programmatic access to Hyperfile. Each key inherits the permissions of the account that created it.

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Canonical HTML version: https://hyperfile.io/docs/concepts/