# Project Files and Deployment

Cognex Designer is divided into two modes of operation: Development Mode and Deployment Mode. As a result, Cognex Designer divides application configuration data into two areas: static data and active data.

- Static data is used in Development Mode. This is the configuration information, and includes the Page, Tasks, Device configurations, and anything else needed to recreate the application. This information is all stored in the project file (.cdp).
- Active data is used in Deployment Mode. This information will change when the application is running, and includes the database records, recorded image files and product recipe data.