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.. default-domain:: cpp
.. highlight:: cpp

High-Level Overview
===================

The Arrow C++ library is comprised of different parts, each of which serves
a specific purpose.

The physical layer
------------------

**Memory management** abstractions provide a uniform API over memory that
may be allocated through various means, such as heap allocation, the memory
mapping of a file or a static memory area.  In particular, the **buffer**
abstraction represents a contiguous area of physical data.

The one-dimensional layer
-------------------------

**Data types** govern the *logical* interpretation of *physical* data.
Many operations in Arrow are parametered, at compile-time or at runtime,
by a data type.

**Arrays** assemble one or several buffers with a data type, allowing to
view them as a logical contiguous sequence of values (possibly nested).

**Chunked arrays** are a generalization of arrays, comprising several same-type
arrays into a longer logical sequence of values.

The two-dimensional layer
-------------------------

**Schemas** describe a logical collection of several pieces of data,
each with a distinct name and type, and optional metadata.

**Tables** are collections of chunked array in accordance to a schema. They
are the most capable dataset-providing abstraction in Arrow.

**Record batches** are collections of contiguous arrays, described
by a schema.  They allow incremental construction or serialization of tables.

The compute layer
-----------------

**Datums** are flexible dataset references, able to hold for example an array or table
reference.

**Kernels** are specialized computation functions running in a loop over a
given set of datums representing input and output parameters to the functions.

The IO layer
------------

**Streams** allow untyped sequential or seekable access over external data
of various kinds (for example compressed or memory-mapped).

The Inter-Process Communication (IPC) layer
-------------------------------------------

A **messaging format** allows interchange of Arrow data between processes, using
as few copies as possible.

The file formats layer
----------------------

Reading and writing Arrow data from/to various file formats is possible, for
example **Parquet**, **CSV**, **Orc** or the Arrow-specific **Feather** format.

The devices layer
-----------------

Basic **CUDA** integration is provided, allowing to describe Arrow data backed
by GPU-allocated memory.

The filesystem layer
--------------------

A filesystem abstraction allows reading and writing data from different storage
backends, such as the local filesystem or a S3 bucket.