libaccounts-glib Reference Manual: Overview of libaccounts-glib terminology

## Overview of libaccounts-glib terminology

libaccounts-glib uses some straightforward terminology, that is nevertheless important to outline before further discussion.

account | An account is given by a provider to a user, and allows access to services.
provider | A provider gives out an account to users, as well as allowing them to use the account with a variety of services. A user can have multiple accounts with the same provider, and each account may have multiple services.
service | A service is hosted by a provider, and allows the user to perform some task.
service type | A service type describes the main functionality provided by a service. Service types are a useful way to group services which support a certain functionality. Examples are `calendar`, `e-mail` and `sharing`.