For many developers, AxKit will be a black box through which they transform and serve XML content. They will neither know nor care about its lower-level components or how things work behind the curtain. That's fine. After all, one need never know anything about lasers to use a CD player for its intended purpose. If this "I don't care, so long as it works" approach characterizes your interest in AxKit, you may want to skim the architectural overview presented shortly and skip the gory details that make up the balance of this chapter. If, on the other hand, you are the type of person who takes the "serviceable by authorized technician only" sticker on a CD player as a personal challenge, then this chapter is for you.