Universe overview
The universe layer defines what exists.
It is the root of meaning in sprig. Everything else—series, books, concepts, relationships—ultimately belongs to a universe.
A universe is not a project, a codebase, or an application. It can describe any system—digital or physical.
A universe is a semantic boundary.
What the universe layer is for
The universe layer exists to:
- establish a shared frame of reference
- define the scope of meaning
- provide a place where names become resolvable
A universe answers questions like:
- What world are we describing?
- What belongs together?
- What does this name mean in this context?
The system being described does not need to be software. It might be an organization, a game world, a set of tools, a physical space, or a body of knowledge.
A universe is required
Every sprig repository describes exactly one universe.
At the root of the repository, you must declare it:
universe Greenhouse { }This declaration anchors all other entities. Without it, names have no context to resolve against.
The universe block does not need to contain anything. It can exist solely to establish scope.
What a universe does not do
A universe is intentionally limited.
It is not:
- a runtime
- an execution environment
- a dependency graph
- a file system abstraction
- a configuration container
Sprig separates meaning from mechanics. The universe layer lives entirely on the meaning side.
One universe, many projections
A single universe can be rendered, explored, or expressed in many ways.
Sprig does not decide how a universe is used. It only ensures that the universe is consistent, navigable, and unambiguous.
Different tools may project the same universe differently:
- as documentation
- as a tutorial
- as a reference
- as a visual interface
The universe remains the same.
A steady foundation
As a universe grows, its internal structure may change:
- concepts may be reorganized
- containers may be promoted or flattened
- paths may become more explicit
The universe declaration does not need to change for this to happen.
It exists to provide a stable foundation while everything else evolves.
What comes next
Once a universe exists, meaning can begin to take shape.
The simplest way this happens is by naming ideas—without worrying yet about structure, hierarchy, or organization.
Those named ideas are called concepts.