Developer Documentation¶
The Engine, from the inside out.
This documentation walks a developer from "what is this" to "how do I extend it" without skipping steps. It assumes working knowledge of C# / .NET, REST APIs, Docker, Git, and the broad concepts of LLM tool calling — and explains everything Aetherium-specific from first principles.
How to read this¶
| If you want to... | Start with |
|---|---|
| Understand what The Aetherium Engine is and why it exists | 01 — What is the Engine |
| Get the Engine running on your machine | 02 — Getting Started |
| Understand how the pieces fit together | 03 — System Architecture → 04 — Core Concepts |
| Find a specific service or class in the codebase | 05 — Solution Layout → 06 — Key Services |
| Add a new tool, agent role, or template | 12 — Extending the Engine |
| Deploy to production | 14 — Deployment → 15 — Operations |
| Look up a config key, env var, or API endpoint | The Technical Reference doc set |
Reading order for a first-time contributor¶
A linear path that takes you from zero to productive in roughly a day of reading and a day of hands-on:
- 00 — Welcome & Doc map
- 01 — What is the Engine
- 04 — Core Concepts — includes an Agentic AI primer
- 02 — Getting Started — get it running
- 03 — System Architecture
- 05 — Solution Layout
- 06 — Key Services + 07 — MCP Architecture
- 10 — Development Workflow
Everything else is reference material to consult as needed.
Section status¶
| # | Section | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 00 | Welcome & Doc map | Draft complete |
| 01 | What is the Engine | Draft complete |
| 02 | Getting Started | Draft complete |
| 03 | System Architecture | Draft complete |
| 04 | Core Concepts | Draft complete |
| 05 | Solution Layout | Draft complete |
| 06 | Key Services | Draft complete |
| 07 | MCP Architecture | Draft complete |
| 08 | Templates | Draft complete |
| 09 | Configuration | Draft complete |
| 10 | Development Workflow | Draft complete |
| 11 | Benchmarking | Draft complete |
| 12 | Extending the Engine | Draft complete |
| 13 | Integrations | Draft complete |
| 14 | Deployment | Draft complete |
| 15 | Operations | Draft complete |
| 16 | Troubleshooting | Draft complete |
| 17 | Architecture Decisions | Draft complete |
| 18 | Roadmap | Draft complete |
| 19 | Contributing | Draft complete |
| 20 | Glossary | Draft complete |