---
type: Domain Concept
title: Channel
description: An independently selectable and updateable part of a Provider.
tags: [catalog, channel, delivery, rendering-contract]
visibility: public
---

# Meaning

A Channel answers **which independently usable part of a Provider is being
selected**. A Provider may expose one channel or several channels with distinct
endpoints, variables, forecast levels, or delivery modes.

# Owns

- A provider-local immutable `export_key` used by portable map recipes.
- Endpoint and delivery semantics.
- Poll or refresh cadence when applicable.
- Rendering contract and supported presentation capabilities.
- Channel-specific attribution overrides.

# Map binding

One selected Channel normally creates one [Layer](/presentation/layer.md).
Compatible vector snapshot channels can be intentionally composed, but the
selected subset remains explicit and stable for the existing map.

# Boundaries

Runtime status, active versions, counters, errors, and heartbeat timestamps are
live database state. They must not be manually mirrored in this bundle.