Inventory, ABOM, and artifact detail
Use this guide when you want to understand the difference between /guard/artifacts, /guard/inventory, /guard/abom, and an individual artifact detail page.
The three layersDirect link to The three layers
Guard Cloud keeps these views separate on purpose:
- Inventory — the current shared list of tracked artifacts and their latest known state
- ABOM — the artifact bill of materials view for the broader trust estate
- Artifact detail — one artifact timeline, evidence set, and current decision surface
Keeping those layers separate makes it easier to answer whether something is merely present, recently changed, or worth deeper inspection.
Which route to open firstDirect link to Which route to open first
| Route | Best first question |
|---|---|
/guard/artifacts or /guard/inventory | What is in shared trust memory right now? |
/guard/abom | What does the broader artifact estate look like at a system level? |
/guard/artifacts/:id | What happened to this one artifact over time? |
What belongs in inventoryDirect link to What belongs in inventory
Inventory is the everyday operator view:
- latest decision
- latest changed state
- known devices and harnesses
- whether something drifted after approval
Open inventory first when the dashboard says something changed and you want the shortest route to context.
What ABOM is forDirect link to What ABOM is for
ABOM is the estate-level answer. It is useful when you want:
- a wider map of the trust surface
- artifact-level visibility that is less queue-shaped than Changes
- a clearer summary of what Guard is tracking across the organization
When to open artifact detailDirect link to When to open artifact detail
Artifact detail is where you slow down:
- inspect the latest evidence
- compare current and prior receipt state
- understand why Guard now wants another decision
- see the timeline without flattening it into a queue badge