> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://iolite-2c826219.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Data Engine Overview

> Our real-time Entity-Component-System engine

<div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: '16px', marginBottom: '8px' }}>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/iolite-2c826219/XQEBrF9E3OH4B536/images/data-martian.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=XQEBrF9E3OH4B536&q=85&s=6ce8abb6396316eda199da78ec2b6e6b" alt="Data Martian" width="64" data-path="images/data-martian.png" />

  <span style={{ fontSize: '1.1rem' }}>
    Our data engine is a real-time platform built on the **Entity-Component-System (ECS)** pattern borrowed from game engines. Every piece of data is an entity, and all changes propagate in real time to connected users and background services.
  </span>
</div>

## Why ECS?

Traditional healthcare systems lock data into rigid table schemas. Adding a new field requires migrations, downtime, and risk. ECS inverts this:

* **Entities** are generic containers — they don't care what data they hold
* **Components** define the data — add or remove them freely without schema changes
* **Systems** react to data — subscribe to what they care about, ignore the rest

This means you can attach an `Insurance` component to a Claim entity today, and a `DenialReason` component tomorrow, without touching the database schema.

## Core layers

The data engine is organized into three layers:

1. **API Layer** — REST API for reads/writes, WebSocket for real-time subscriptions
2. **Commit Layer** — validates authorization, merges deltas, creates immutable checkpoints
3. **Distribution Layer** — fans out changes to users (via pub/sub) and services (via durable message queue)

## Key properties

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Real-time" icon="bolt">
    Every entity change is delivered to connected clients within milliseconds via WebSocket.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Immutable audit trail" icon="clock-rotate-left">
    Every change creates an immutable **checkpoint** recording the delta, previous state, and new state. Nothing is ever lost.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Composable data" icon="puzzle-piece">
    Entities gain meaning from the components attached to them. The same entity framework represents claims, patients, accounts, and EDI files.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Query subscriptions" icon="filter">
    Clients subscribe to entities matching a query. When matching entities change, clients are notified. When entities stop matching, clients are told to refresh.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>