Content architecture

System docs · information architecture

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You are here: System docs → Content architecture This page is for you if: you need the full map of shelves, types, and metadata — before adding or classifying any file. Not this? Decision tree = fast routing for one new item.

ZajLibrary is organized by topic first, then reader intent, then content type. That keeps everything about one subject together while still letting a topic, like Mastra or CodeCanyon, gather handbook pages, guides, playbooks, tools, and templates.

The decision tree

Content decision tree

Start with the topic home, then route the item to the shelf and content type that matches what someone will do with it.

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The browse tree

graph TD
  Root["ZajLibrary"] --> Cat["Category"]
  Cat --> Sub["Subcategory"]
  Sub --> Topic["Topic"]
  Topic --> Learn["Learn & Understand"]
  Topic --> Build["Build & Create"]
  Topic --> Res["Resources"]
  Learn --> L1["Handbooks · Guides · Concepts · Research · Case studies"]
  Build --> B1["Playbooks · Blueprints · SOPs · Runbooks · Checklists"]
  Res --> R1["Templates · Kits · Cheatsheets · Reference"]

Classification layers

Layer	Meaning	Example
Category	Broad subject family	tech-stack, infrastructure, zajlibrary
Subcategory	Area inside the family	laravel, hosting, authoring
Topic	Exact subject neighborhood	codecanyon, shared-hosting, content-system
Shelf	Reader-intent route inside a topic	learn, build, resources
Kind	Content type	guide, playbook, blueprint, template
Collection	Optional legacy bundle metadata	codecanyon-laravel, mastra
Tags	Cross-cutting filters	security, codecanyon, cloudflare
Shape	Physical form	one file, folder, kit, data entry

Core rule

The topic path answers where the content belongs. Kind answers what the content is for. Tags answer how it connects across topics. Shape only answers how much space it needs.

Category/subcategory/topic = subject home
Content type = purpose
Physical shape = one file / folder / kit / data entry

An SOP can be one file or a folder. A guide can be one file or a folder. Do not classify by file count alone.

Route mapping

Topic-first example	Route folder
CodeCanyon playbooks	app/src/content/docs/tech-stack/laravel/codecanyon/build/playbooks/
Shared hosting guides	app/src/content/docs/infrastructure/hosting/shared-hosting/learn/guides/
Authoring references	app/src/content/docs/zajlibrary/authoring/content-system/resources/reference/

Browse is generated from the topic path and frontmatter at /browse/; category and subcategory routes remain at /categories/<category>/ and /subcategories/<subcategory>/.

Playbook vs runbook vs SOP (and guides)

The three Build types overlap in real workflows but serve different reader moments — playbook = full teaching journey; runbook = terse commands for one op; SOP = approved standard. Guides live on Learn (understand once); playbooks live on Build (execute every time).

See the full spectrum, mermaid maps, decision table, and promotion rules in Type decisions.

Go deeper

Path layout Category/subcategory folders — required shape, audit, migration checklist.

Type disambiguation Playbook · runbook · SOP · guide — diagrams and decision table.

Intake pipeline Inbox → publish → _Sources closure; new vs enrich decision tree.

Decision tree Classify one new item fast.

Content types Canonical names and synonyms.

Collections, categories, tags Metadata without folder sprawl.

File vs folder One page or a hub of pages.

Authoring capabilities What the site actually wires (plugins, components).