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Glossary

Mika Notarnicola edited this page Jul 20, 2026 · 4 revisions

A quick reference for the vocabulary used throughout this wiki. Each term links to the page with the full detail.

App

The static core of Bootstrap. Holds the one currently running AppInstance and exposes the operations that don't belong on the instance itself, like locating a service or resetting. See App.

App Session

Represents the entire lifetime of an AppInstance.

AppInstance

The stateful object behind a single running session: its services, its task scheduler, and its current lifecycle state. Only one exists at a time, and it's what App holds a reference to. See App and AppInstance.

Bootstrap Flow

The fixed sequence a session goes through from the moment Play is pressed (or a build starts) to being fully initialized, and back again when it stops. See Bootstrap Flow.

Bootstrap State

The current phase of a session's lifecycle, None, ServiceInit, Ready, Quitting, and so on, tracked on AppInstance.BootstrapState. See Bootstrap Flow.

Edit Mode Services

A standalone Service List that stays bootstrapped any time the editor is open and not in Play mode, independent of any environment. See Bootstrap Settings.

Environment

A named configuration that points at one Service List and can optionally run logic just before or after bootstrapping. Different scenes, platforms, or build profiles can each be mapped to a different environment. See Environments.

Live Service

An instance of a service that belongs to the ServiceLocator on the current AppInstance.

Runtime

Shorthand for play mode in the editor or anytime during a built player's application lifecycle. Basically anytime that isn't during edit mode in the editor.

Service

A plain C# class implementing IService, added to a Service List. The basic unit of functionality Bootstrap wires up and initializes. See Writing Services.

Service List

The asset that declares which services exist, as an ordered list. On its own it does nothing; something (an environment, or the Edit Mode Services setting) has to reference it before it's ever bootstrapped. See Service Lists.

Service Locator

The per-session container that resolves a service by type once it's been bootstrapped. App.Locate<T>(), ServiceRef<T>, and the source-generated singleton accessors all read through it. See Accessing Services.

Task Scheduler

A per-session queue for cooperative work: anything a service needs to do that depends on another service being ready first. See Self Setup vs. Cooperative Work.

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