> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex-cloud-posture-management/cloud-inventory-and-environment/asset-classes.md).

# Asset classes

The asset inventory organizes your organization's resources into a hierarchy:

1. **Class:** The highest-level grouping based on general purpose or domain, such as compute, network, or data.
2. **Category:** A detailed grouping within a class based on normalized function, such as virtual machine, container, or bucket).
3. **Type:** The most specific, provider-level implementation, such as AWS EC2 instance or GCP Compute Engine instance.

The following asset classes are available in the inventory:

<table><thead><tr><th width="180.5">Asset class</th><th width="268.5">Description</th><th>License</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>AI</td><td>Provides a detailed view of AI-related assets, their attributes, and associated risks.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>API</td><td>Provides a comprehensive view of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) across your cloud platforms.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Application</td><td>Provides a high-level summary and detailed insights into the business applications within your environment.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Code</td><td>Provides an overview of code assets, including all code repositories, Infrastructure as Code (IaC) resources, CI/CD pipelines, and software packages.</td><td><div data-gb-custom-block data-tag="hint" data-style="info" class="hint hint-info"><p><strong>Notice</strong></p><p>This feature is included with the AppSec add-on.</p></div></td></tr><tr><td>Compute</td><td>Provides a detailed overview of compute resources, including CaaS resources, virtual machines, containers, serverless functions, Kubernetes clusters, and general devices.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Data</td><td>Provides an overview of data assets and their associated risks, highlighting sensitive assets and assets marked as open to the world.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Device</td><td>Overview of physical or virtual devices with a Cortex XDR agent installed.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>External Surface</td><td>Provides an overview of external-facing assets, including services versus websites, domains versus certificates, and their distribution across providers.</td><td><div data-gb-custom-block data-tag="hint" data-style="info" class="hint hint-info"><p><strong>Notice</strong></p><p>This feature is included with the Attack Surface Management (ASM) add-on.</p></div></td></tr><tr><td>Identity</td><td>Provides an overview of identity-related assets, giving visibility into both user and service-based identities and their associated permissions.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Network</td><td>Provides an overview of network-related assets, including Load Balancers, Network Interfaces, Security Groups, and Subnets.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Security Services</td><td>A complete overview of the security services being actively managed within your environment.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>All Other Assets</td><td>All assets that are uncategorized.</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>


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