Supermemory isn’t just another document storage system. It’s designed to mirror how human memory actually works - forming connections, evolving over time, and generating insights from accumulated knowledge.

## The Mental Model

Traditional systems store files. Supermemory creates a living knowledge graph.

## Traditional Systems

- Static files in folders
- No connections between content
- Search matches keywords
- Information stays frozen

## Supermemory

- Dynamic knowledge graph
- Rich relationships between memories
- Semantic understanding
- Information evolves and connects

## Documents vs Memories

Understanding this distinction is crucial to using Supermemory effectively.

### Documents: Your Raw Input

Documents are what you provide - the raw materials:

- PDF files you upload
- Web pages you save
- Text you paste
- Images with text
- Videos to transcribe

Think of documents as books you hand to Supermemory. See [Content Types](/content/docs/concepts/content-types/index.html) for the full list of supported formats.

### Memories: Intelligent Knowledge Units

Memories are what Supermemory creates - the understanding:

- Semantic chunks with meaning
- Embedded for similarity search
- Connected through relationships
- Dynamically updated over time

Think of memories as the insights and connections your brain makes after reading those books.

**Key Insight**: When you upload a 50-page PDF, Supermemory doesn’t just store it. It breaks it into hundreds of interconnected memories, each understanding its context and relationships to your other knowledge.

## Memory Relationships

The graph connects memories through three types of relationships. For a deeper dive into how these relationships work, see [Graph Memory](/content/docs/concepts/graph-memory/index.html).

### Updates: Information Changes

When new information contradicts or updates existing knowledge, Supermemory creates an “update” relationship.

**Original Memory**  
```
"You work at Supermemory as a content engineer"
```
The system tracks which memory is latest with an `isLatest` field, ensuring searches return current information.

### Extends: Information Enriches

When new information adds to existing knowledge without replacing it, Supermemory creates an “extends” relationship. Continuing our “working at supermemory” analogy, a memory about what you work on would extend the memory about your role given above.

**Original Memory**  
**New Memory (Extension) - Separate From Previous**  
```
"You work at Supermemory as the CMO"
```
Both memories remain valid and searchable, providing richer context.

### Derives: Information Infers

The most sophisticated relationship - when Supermemory infers new connections from patterns in your knowledge.

**Memory 1**  
**Memory 2**  
**Derived Memory**  
```
"Dhravya is the founder of Supermemory"
```
These inferences help surface insights you might not have explicitly stated.

## Processing Pipeline

Understanding the pipeline helps you optimize your usage:

| Stage    | What Happens                        |
| -------- | ---------------------------------- |
| **Queued**      | Document waiting to process        |
| **Extracting**  | Content being extracted            |
| **Chunking**    | Creating memory chunks             |
| **Embedding**   | Generating vectors                 |
| **Indexing**    | Building relationships              |
| **Done**        | Fully searchable                   |

**Tip**: Larger documents and videos take longer. A 100-page PDF might take 1-2 minutes, while a 1-hour video could take 5-10 minutes.

## Next Steps

Now that you understand how Supermemory works:

[**Add Memories** 
\
Start adding content to your knowledge graph](/content/docs/add-memories/index.html)

[**Search Memories** 
\
Learn to query your knowledge effectively](/content/docs/search/index.html)