# Holons types (flavor)

A holon is a unit that is both a whole and a part. The Holons protocol does not enforce one shape for that unit—instead, it offers a small set of **flavors** that can be applied independently or combined. Each flavor answers a different question about how a holon operates.

| Flavor                                                                    | The question it answers                                        |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [Splitter Holon](/software/holons-types-flavor/splitter-holon.md)         | How are incoming resources routed to multiple destinations?    |
| [Managed Holon](/software/holons-types-flavor/managed-holon.md)           | How are work, roles, and communication coordinated day-to-day? |
| [Zoned Holon](/software/holons-types-flavor/zoned-holon.md)               | How is membership stratified by depth of participation?        |
| [Appreciative Holon](/software/holons-types-flavor/appreciative-holon.md) | How are contributions recognized and weighted?                 |

These are not mutually exclusive categories. A real holon is usually several flavors at once: a community might be **Managed** (coordinated through a bot), **Appreciative** (its value system runs on peer recognition), **Zoned** (membership has depth), and contain a **Splitter** at its boundary to route incoming funds. The flavors are composable lenses, not exclusive types.

## How to pick a flavor

Start from the problem the holon is actually facing:

* If resources are arriving and need to be **distributed** — start with a [Splitter Holon](/software/holons-types-flavor/splitter-holon.md).
* If a group is already coordinating in chat and needs **structure** — start with a [Managed Holon](/software/holons-types-flavor/managed-holon.md).
* If contributions come in many forms and members need **different depths of involvement** — start with a [Zoned Holon](/software/holons-types-flavor/zoned-holon.md).
* If the culture of **recognition** is what makes the holon work — start with an [Appreciative Holon](/software/holons-types-flavor/appreciative-holon.md).

Once one flavor is in place, layering another is incremental rather than a re-architecture. The same identity, membership, and resource registries serve all of them.

## Related concepts

* [Funding Flow](/getting-started/funding-flow.md) — the full whitepaper on the primitives (splitters, threshold buckets, value equations, federation) that flavors compose on top of.
* [HolonsBot](/software/holonsbot.md) — the operational layer that makes most Managed and Appreciative Holons run in practice.
* [HoloSphere](/software/holosphere.md) — the spatial / federation substrate that lets holons of any flavor find and connect to each other.


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