diff --git a/repository/doc.go b/repository/doc.go
index ac8463066..cb98334c4 100644
--- a/repository/doc.go
+++ b/repository/doc.go
@@ -1,2 +1,28 @@
-// Package repository implements a restic repository on top of a backend.
+// Package repository implements a restic repository on top of a backend. In
+// the following the abstractions used for this package are listed. More
+// information can be found in the restic design document.
+//
+// File
+//
+// A file is a named handle for some data saved in the backend. For the local
+// backend, this corresponds to actual files saved to disk. Usually, the SHA256
+// hash of the content is used for a file's name (hexadecimal, in lower-case
+// ASCII characters). An exception is the file `config`. Most files are
+// encrypted before being saved in a backend. This means that the name is the
+// hash of the ciphertext.
+//
+// Blob
+//
+// A blob is a number of bytes that has a type (data or tree). Blobs are
+// identified by an ID, which is the SHA256 hash of the blobs' contents. One or
+// more blobs are bundled together in a Pack and then saved to the backend.
+// Blobs are always encrypted before being bundled in a Pack.
+//
+// Pack
+//
+// A Pack is a File in the backend that contains one or more (encrypted) blobs,
+// followed by a header at the end of the Pack. The header is encrypted and
+// contains the ID, type, length and offset for each blob contained in the
+// Pack.
+//
 package repository