> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.paradime.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Foundations

> Short, plain-language explainers of the core concepts behind Paradime: the platform, dbt, environments, AI agents, orchestration, and observability.

New to Paradime or to analytics engineering? Start with these short concept explainers. Each one answers a single question in plain language and points you to the hands-on guides when you're ready to build.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="How Paradime works" href="/guides/foundations/how-paradime-works" icon="workflow">
    Workspaces, the apps in the platform, and how the pieces fit together.
  </Card>

  <Card title="What is dbt™?" href="/guides/foundations/what-is-dbt" icon="box">
    The transformation framework at the heart of your project, in five minutes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Environments and connections" href="/guides/foundations/environments-and-connections" icon="database">
    How Paradime talks to your warehouse, and why development and production stay separate.
  </Card>

  <Card title="What is DinoAI?" href="/guides/foundations/what-is-dinoai" icon="bot">
    Copilot, autonomous agents, and programmable agents, and when to use each.
  </Card>

  <Card title="What is Bolt?" href="/guides/foundations/what-is-bolt" icon="zap">
    Schedules, runs, and CI/CD: how your project goes to production.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Monitoring and discovery" href="/guides/foundations/monitoring-and-discovery" icon="chart-line">
    Radar, Catalog, and Lineage: how you observe cost, quality, and data flow.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Key terms" href="/guides/foundations/key-terms" icon="book">
    A glossary of the words you'll see across the docs and the app.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Tip>
  Already know the concepts? Jump straight to the [role-based quickstarts](/start-here/quickstart/index) or browse the deep-dive guides in the sidebar.
</Tip>


## Related topics

- [Foundations](/guides/foundations/index.md)
- [Key terms](/guides/foundations/key-terms.md)
- [Environments and connections](/guides/foundations/environments-and-connections.md)
- [Monitoring and discovery](/guides/foundations/monitoring-and-discovery.md)
- [What is Bolt?](/guides/foundations/what-is-bolt.md)