A component is a software building-block. The round lollipop ●— means "I offer this service"; the half-circle socket ⊃— means "I need this service". A working link is one component's lollipop sitting inside another's socket.
▸Lollipop ●— = I OFFER. Socket ⊃— = I NEED. The offer plugs into the need.
Click any piece above
A node is a machine (the 3D box). An artifact is the real file deployed inside it. A communication path is the network link between two machines, labelled with its protocol.
▸Node = a machine · artifact = the file inside it · path = the wire + protocol.