# Key Features – Capability Cards

Each card is a fast read pairing the headline capability with the evidence that backs it and why it matters day to day.

## 1. Delta SBOM Engine
- **What it is:** Layer-aware ingestion keeps the SBOM catalog content-addressed; rescans only fetch new layers and update dependency/vulnerability cartographs.
- **Evidence:** Deterministic Replay Manifest (SRM) captures the exact analyzer inputs/outputs per layer.
- **Why it matters:** Warm scans drop below one second, so CI/CD pipelines stay fast even under the free-tier quota.

## 2. Lattice Policy + OpenVEX
- **What it is:** Policy engine merges SBOM, advisories, VEX, and waivers through lattice logic that prioritises exploitability.
- **Evidence:** OpenVEX is treated as first-class input; the policy UI renders explain traces, while custom rule packs let teams automate muting, expirations, and non-VEX alert logic.
- **Why it matters:** Teams can distinguish exploitable risk from noise, tune the experience beyond VEX statements, and prove why a deployment was blocked or allowed.

## 3. Sovereign Crypto Profiles
- **What it is:** Bring-your-own trust bundles that switch signing algorithms (FIPS, eIDAS, GOST, SM) without code changes.
- **Evidence:** Crypto profiles travel with Offline Update Kits and post-quantum trust packs, keeping signatures verifiable in regulated sectors.
- **Why it matters:** You meet regional crypto requirements while keeping provenance attestations consistent across tenants.

## 4. Deterministic Replay & Evidence Bundles
- **What it is:** Every scan produces a DSSE + SRM bundle that can be replayed with `stella replay`.
- **Evidence:** Replay manifests capture analyzer versions, lattice state, and attestations in content-addressed storage for audit trails.
- **Why it matters:** Auditors and incident responders can re-run a historical scan and trust the findings were not tampered with.

## 5. Transparent Quotas & Offline Operations
- **What it is:** Redis-backed counters surface `{{ quota_token }}` scans/day via headers, UI banners, and `/quota` API; Offline Update Kits mirror feeds.
- **Evidence:** Quota tokens verify locally using bundled public keys, and Offline Update Kits include mirrored advisories, SBOM feeds, and VEX sources.
- **Why it matters:** You stay within predictable limits, avoid surprise throttling, and operate entirely offline when needed.

### Explore Further
- Walk the first deployment in [quickstart.md](quickstart.md).
- Dive into architectural flows in [high-level-architecture.md](high-level-architecture.md).
- Need detailed matrices? The legacy [feature matrix](04_FEATURE_MATRIX.md) and [vision](03_VISION.md) remain available for deep dives.