> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.amulet.so/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Volumes and mounts > What Amulet stores and how it appears as a local directory. Amulet stores files in a durable volume and exposes them through a local Linux mount. Your application works with paths; Amulet manages the storage behind them. ## Volume A volume is a durable filesystem. Its default state is writable, so you do not need a branch before writing files. `amulet mount` creates a missing volume automatically. Use `amulet create` only when you need to provision a volume without mounting it. ## Mount A mount exposes a volume, branch, or snapshot at a local path. A volume or branch is writable unless you pass `--ro`; snapshots are always read-only. The mount command stays in the foreground for the lifetime of the mount. Use another terminal or process for file operations, then run `amulet unmount` when the work is complete. If you omit the local path, Amulet uses `./`. The directory must either not exist or be empty. ## What remains durable Files written through the mount remain in the volume after unmounting and can be mounted from another machine with access to the same organization. A branch keeps its own writable state, while a snapshot preserves an immutable version. Amulet is intended for file-oriented workloads, not as a database data directory. See [Compatibility and limitations](/compatibility) for details. Next, learn how [branches and snapshots](/branches-and-snapshots) create isolated and reproducible versions of a volume.