Background

Design intent and historical context that explains why containerd is shaped the way it is. Read this when something in the code looks weirder than it should.

• Scope and principles — the rules of engagement: what's in, what's out, why
• Plugins and proxy plugins — design notes on the extension model
• v2 reorganization — why and how the v2 directory layout came to be

For the timeline of the codebase, see Lore.