> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.e6data.com/query-engine/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.e6data.com/query-engine/get-started/architecture/platform-components.md).

# Platform components

What makes up the e6data Control Plane and Compute Plane, and where your data sits relative to each.

e6data is organized into two planes plus your data. The Control Plane is shared across your organization; each workspace has its own Compute Plane; your data always stays in your cloud account.

## Control Plane

The shared e6data Console, hosted by e6data. It manages your organization and never processes queries or touches your data.

| Component                | Purpose                                      |
| ------------------------ | -------------------------------------------- |
| Organization and account | Tenancy, membership, and billing             |
| Workspace management     | Create, open, disable, and delete workspaces |
| Global access control    | Users, groups, roles, and SSO                |
| Releases and monitoring  | Version management and platform telemetry    |

## Compute Plane

The workspace-scoped environment you enter by clicking **Open** on a workspace in the Control Plane. This is where data work happens.

| Component   | Purpose                                                                                                             |
| ----------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Catalogs    | Connections to your metastores ([Catalogs](/query-engine/guides/catalogs.md))                                       |
| Clusters    | The compute that runs queries ([Clusters](/query-engine/guides/clusters/create-and-manage-clusters.md))             |
| SQL Editor  | Write and run queries in the browser ([Query editor](/query-engine/guides/querying/query-editor.md))                |
| Run History | A searchable log of every query ([Query history](/query-engine/guides/querying/query-history-and-saved-queries.md)) |
| Settings    | Access control, version upgrades, observability, and connectivity                                                   |

Whether the Compute Plane runs in e6data's cloud or in your own Kubernetes cluster depends on the [deployment model](/query-engine/get-started/deployment-models.md).

## Your data

Your data lives in your own object storage (S3, ADLS Gen2). e6data reads it in place through an identity you grant, and it is never moved or copied. The catalog supplies the metadata that tells e6data how to interpret it.

## See also

* [How e6data works](/query-engine/get-started/readme/how-e6data-works.md)
* [Key concepts](/query-engine/get-started/architecture/high-level-architecture.md)
* [Deployment models](/query-engine/get-started/deployment-models.md)


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