How project-chip/connectedhomeip works
Matter is an IP-based application-layer connectivity standard and SDK for interoperable smart-home devices. A principal interaction is a controller or application communicating with a Matter device: the SDK manages secure sessions and protocol interactions, and device cluster implementations expose application behavior. The tree also shows BLE transport, persistent credentials and state, and Python testing and IDL tooling. The supplied excerpts are partial, so links between major runtime layers are included only where the README or excerpts support them; other important capabilities are shown without guessed call chains.
Main entry points: CHIPPersistentStorageDelegate.h Persistent storage · InteractionModelEngine.cpp Interaction model · SessionManager.cpp Secure sessions · PersistentStorageOperationalKeystore.cpp Operational keystore
Components 17
Protocol runtime
- Interaction model
src/app/InteractionModelEngine.cpp - Secure sessions
src/transport/SessionManager.cpp
Device behavior
- Cluster behavior
src/app/clusters - Access control
src/access/AccessControl.cpp - Attribute reporting
src/app/reporting/Engine.cpp - Attribute storage
src/app/util/attribute-storage.cpp
Security and state
- Operational keystore
src/crypto/PersistentStorageOperationalKeystore.cpp - Persistent storage
src/lib/core/CHIPPersistentStorageDelegate.h - File-backed storage
src/controller/ExamplePersistentStorage.cpp
Controllers and tools
- Python storage adapter
src/controller/python/ChipDeviceController-StorageDelegate.cpp - Matter IDL
scripts/py_matter_idl/matter/idl/matter_idl_parser.py - YAML test runner
scripts/py_matter_yamltests/matter/yamltests/runner.py - Python test framework
src/python_testing/matter_testing_infrastructure/matter/testing/runner.py
Platform transports
- BLE transfer
src/ble/BtpEngine.cpp - IP networks
Other components
- App or controller
- Matter device
Connections 11
- App or controller → Matter device: communicates with
README.md - App or controller → Interaction model: uses Matter SDK
README.md - Interaction model → Matter device: exchanges interactions
README.md - Secure sessions → Matter device: secures communication
README.md - Matter device → Cluster behavior: implements capabilities
- Matter device → IP networks: communicates over
README.md - BLE transfer → Matter device: transfers fragments
- Operational keystore → Persistent storage: stores key data
src/crypto/PersistentStorageOperationalKeystore.cpp - File-backed storage → Persistent storage: implements delegate
- Python storage adapter → Persistent storage: implements delegate
- Interaction model → Persistent storage: uses resumption storage
src/app/InteractionModelEngine.cpp