# Where diagrams are stored

A diagram is two things: the source, and the macro that points at it. The source lives in your Confluence site, as custom content or as a page attachment, and the macro on the page holds a reference to it.

That is why permissions work without any extra configuration, and why a diagram survives being copied, exported or migrated with the page.

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## When this matters

* Security reviews and data mapping exercises.
* Understanding what happens when a page is deleted or moved.
* Planning a migration or a backup strategy.

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## The detail

| **Thing**       | **What happens**                                              |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Source          | Custom content or a page attachment, in your Confluence site. |
| The macro       | Holds a reference to the source, plus display settings.       |
| Preview image   | An attached rendering, used by exports and anonymous readers. |
| Version history | Kept with the source, so earlier versions can be restored.    |

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## A few things that catch people out

* Deleting the page deletes the diagram source with it. That is Confluence's behaviour, not ours.
* Copying a page copies the diagram, so the copy is independent.
* A diagram reference points at the original, so it follows that page's lifecycle rather than its own.

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## Related

[draw.io XML inside PNG filesThe picture is also the source.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/draw-io-xml-inside-png-files.html)

[Stored previews and thumbnailsWhat makes offline views work.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/stored-previews-and-thumbnails.html)

[ExamplesWorking diagrams you can copy.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/examples.html)

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