> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://argos-ci.com/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://argos-ci.com/docs/learn/platform-fundamentals.md).

# Platform fundamentals

The core concepts behind how Argos turns screenshots into a reliable visual review signal. Start here to understand what Argos compares, how it picks a baseline, and the modes a build can run in.

* [How Argos detects visual differences](/docs/learn/platform-fundamentals/how-argos-detects-visual-differences.md) — the comparison algorithm Argos uses to surface meaningful visual changes.
* [Baseline build](/docs/learn/platform-fundamentals/baseline-build.md) — how Argos chooses the reference build that each new build is compared against.
* [Build modes](/docs/learn/platform-fundamentals/build-modes.md) — the difference between CI mode and monitoring mode, and when to use each.


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