---
title: "Architecture"
description: "Reference content for Calico Open Source architecture covering components, network design, and data path between workloads."
product: "Calico Open Source"
version: "3.32 (latest)"
section: "Reference"
canonical_url: "https://docs.tigera.io/calico/latest/reference/architecture/"
---

# Architecture

## [📄️Component architecture](https://docs.tigera.io/calico/latest/reference/architecture/overview.md)

[Architectural overview reference of the Calico Open Source components including Felix, BIRD, confd, Typha, and the kube-controllers.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico/latest/reference/architecture/overview.md)

## [📄️'The Calico data path: IP routing and iptables'](https://docs.tigera.io/calico/latest/reference/architecture/data-path.md)

[Reference covering the Calico Open Source data path explaining how packets flow between workloads and to external destinations across networking modes.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico/latest/reference/architecture/data-path.md)

## [🗃Network design](https://docs.tigera.io/calico/latest/reference/architecture/design.md)

[2 items](https://docs.tigera.io/calico/latest/reference/architecture/design.md)