A desk is an independently revision-controlled branch of a ship that uses the Clay filesystem. Each desk contains its own apps, mark definitions, files, and so forth.

Traditionally a ship has at least a %base desk, and typically %garden and %landscape desk among others. The %base desk has the kernel and base system software, while other desks are usually each for different apps. A desk is a series of numbered commits, the most recent of which represents the current state of the desk. A commit is composed of:

1. An absolute time when it was created.
2. A list of zero or more parents.
3. A map from paths to data.

Further Reading

• Using Your Ship: A user guide that includes instructions for using desks.