---
title: "Structure"
description: "Your account has a directory to organize the projects that you have access to in each of your organizations. These organization directories are your workspaces."
canonical: https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/structure
markdown: https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/structure.md
language: python
source: https://github.com/QuantConnect/Documentation/tree/master/01%20Cloud%20Platform/06%20Projects/02%20Structure
modified: 2026-10-30
index: https://www.quantconnect.com/llms.txt
---

# Structure

[Documentation](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2.md) > [Cloud Platform](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform.md) > [Projects](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects.md) > Structure

> Code examples are shown in Python. Append `?lang=csharp` to this URL for the C# version of this page.

## Introduction

Projects organize your algorithm data. They have settings, files, results, and attached libraries.

Your account has a directory to organize the projects that you have access to in each of your organizations. If you [switch the organization that you are connected as](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/organizations/administration.md#09-Switch-Organizations), your directory of projects is updated to reflect the projects that you have access to within the new organization.

## Files

New projects contain code files (`.py` or `.cs`) and notebook files (`.ipynb`). Run backtests with code files and launch the Research Environment with notebook files. Code files must stay within your [size quotas](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/files.md#10-Size-Quotas). To keep files small, files can import code from other code files. To aid navigation, you can [rename, move, and delete files](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/files.md#07-Rename-Files-and-Directories) in the web IDE. Notebook files save the input cells, but not the output cells.

## Directories

Your [directory of projects](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/getting-started.md#02-View-All-Projects) can contain nested directories of projects to make navigation easier. Similarly, the code and notebook files in your projects can contain nested directories of files. For example, if you have multiple Alpha models in your strategy, you can create an `alphas` directory in your project to hold a file for each Alpha model.

The following directory names are reserved: `.ipynb_checkpoints`, `.idea`, `.vscode`, `__pycache__`, `bin`, `obj`, `backtests`, `live`, `optimizations`, `storage`, and `report`.

## Description

You can give a project a description to provide a high-level overview of the project and its functionality. Descriptions make it easier to return to old projects and understand what is going on at a high level without having to look at the code. The project description is also displayed at the top of [backtest reports](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/backtesting/report.md), which you can create after your backtest completes.

## Libraries

Libraries are reusable code files that you can import into any project for use in backtesting, research, and live trading. Use libraries to increase your development speed and save yourself from copy-pasting between projects. You can [create libraries](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/shared-libraries.md#02-Create-Libraries) and [add them to your projects](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/shared-libraries.md#03-Add-Libraries) using the web IDE. Your libraries are saved under the `Library` directory in the Algorithm Lab.

## Parameters

[Video](https://player.vimeo.com/video/696287618)

Algorithm parameters are hard-coded values for variables in your project that are set outside of the code files. [Add parameters to your projects](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/getting-started.md#10-Edit-Parameters) to remove hard-coded values from your code files and to perform [parameter optimizations](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/optimization.md). To get the parameter values into your algorithm, see [Get Parameters](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/writing-algorithms/optimization/parameters.md#03-Get-Parameters). The parameter values are sent to your algorithm when you deploy the algorithm, so it's not possible to change the parameter values while the algorithm runs.