Project Structure

When a project is created from a template, many files are generated automatically. Understanding their purposes makes manual configuration easier when a wizard is not available.

Stage Model vs. FA Model

OpenHarmony applications can be built using one of two application models:

Stage model — the current, recommended model. Introduces AbilityStage, a shared context across components, and a clearer separation between the application and its abilities. All new projects created by recent IDE versions default to this model.
FA model (Feature Ability model) — the legacy model, kept mainly for compatibility with older codebases.

Tip

Unless you are maintaining an existing FA-model project, always choose the Stage model for new work — most current documentation, samples, and APIs assume it.

Top-Level Layout

A typical Stage-model project looks like this:

MyApplication/
├── AppScope/
│   ├── app.json5
│   └── resources/
├── entry/
│   ├── src/
│   │   └── main/
│   │       ├── ets/
│   │       │   ├── entryability/
│   │       │   │   └── EntryAbility.ets
│   │       │   └── pages/
│   │       │       └── Index.ets
│   │       ├── resources/
│   │       │   ├── base/
│   │       │   ├── en_US/
│   │       │   └── rawfile/
│   │       └── module.json5
│   ├── build-profile.json5
│   └── oh-package.json5
├── build-profile.json5
├── oh-package.json5
└── hvigorfile.ts

AppScope

Settings that apply to the whole application, not just one module:

app.json5 — bundle name, vendor, version code/name, application icon, and application label.
resources/ — app-wide resources such as the app icon and label, shared across all modules.

entry Module

entry is the default module. Most simple applications need only this module, while larger applications can add feature modules or shared libraries alongside it.

File/Folder	Purpose
`src/main/ets/entryability/EntryAbility.ets`	The module's entry point (`UIAbility`); handles lifecycle callbacks like `onCreate`, `onWindowStageCreate`
`src/main/ets/pages/`	Your ArkUI page components (`.ets` files using `@Entry`/`@Component`)
`src/main/resources/base/`	Default resources (strings, colors, media) used when no more specific qualifier matches
`src/main/resources/en_US/`, `zh_CN/`, ...	Locale-specific resource overrides
`src/main/resources/rawfile/`	Raw assets bundled as-is, accessed by path rather than resource ID
`module.json5`	Module-level manifest: `deviceTypes`, abilities, requested permissions, module name/type
`build-profile.json5`	Module-level build configuration, including build options and module targets
`oh-package.json5`	Module's dependencies, similar in spirit to `package.json`

Note

If your app refuses to show up as a run target for a certain emulator, check deviceTypes in module.json5. HarmonyOS phone projects use phone; OpenHarmony projects use default (and can also list supported form factors such as tablet).

Project-Level Files

build-profile.json5 (root) — declares products, SDK compatibility and compilation versions, signing configurations, build modes, and modules.
oh-package.json5 (root) — workspace-level dependency declarations and the oh_modules resolution behavior.
hvigorfile.ts — the build script for Hvigor, OpenHarmony's build system (conceptually similar to a Gradle build script).

Where the IDE Keeps Its Own State

The following IDE/tooling-generated paths should not be committed to version control:

Folder	Contents
`.idea/`	Project-specific IDE settings (mostly machine-local)
`build/`, `.hvigor/`	Build outputs and Hvigor's cache
`oh_modules/`	Resolved dependencies (equivalent to `node_modules`)

Tip

A ready-to-use .gitignore can be found in the Version Control section.