diff --git a/config.py b/config.py
index 430de73..bdda24e 100644
--- a/config.py
+++ b/config.py
@@ -152,11 +152,16 @@ class ConfigStateHolder:
     # config options that are persisted to file
     file: dict = {}
     # runtime config not persisted anywhere
-    runtime: dict = {'verbose': False, 'config_file': None}
+    runtime: dict = {
+        'verbose': False,
+        'config_file': None,
+        'arch': None,
+    }
 
     def __init__(self, runtime_conf={}, file_conf_path: str = None, file_conf_base: dict = {}):
         """init a stateholder, optionally loading `file_conf_path`"""
         self.runtime.update(runtime_conf)
+        self.runtime['arch'] = os.uname().machine
         self.file.update(file_conf_base)
         if file_conf_path:
             self.try_load_file(file_conf_path)
diff --git a/constants.py b/constants.py
index 2e10789..6c66e70 100644
--- a/constants.py
+++ b/constants.py
@@ -41,3 +41,14 @@ REPOSITORIES = [
     'linux',
     'main',
 ]
+
+ARCHES = [
+    'x86_64',
+    'aarch64',
+]
+
+BASE_DISTROS: {
+    'x86_64': {
+        '': '',
+    },
+}
diff --git a/distro.py b/distro.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8557215
--- /dev/null
+++ b/distro.py
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+from copy import deepcopy
+from constants import ARCHES, BASE_DISTROS
+from config import config
+
+
+def resolve_url(url_template, repo_name: str, arch: str):
+    result = url_template
+    for template, replacement in {'$repo': repo_name, '$arch': config.runtime['arch']}.items():
+        result = result.replace(template, replacement)
+
+
+class PackageInfo:
+    name: str
+    version: str
+    filename: str
+    resolved_url: str
+
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        name: str,
+        version: str,
+        filename: str,
+        resolved_url: str = None,
+    ):
+        self.name = name
+        self.version = version
+        self.filename = filename
+        self.resolved_url = resolved_url
+
+
+class Repo:
+    name: str
+    url_template: str
+    resolved_url: str
+    repo_name: str
+    arch: str
+    packages: dict[str, PackageInfo]
+    options: dict[str, str]
+    remote: bool
+
+    def scan(self):
+        self.resolved_url = resolve_url(self.url_template, self.repo_name, self.arch)
+        self.remote = not self.resolved_url.startswith('file://')
+        # TODO
+
+    def __init__(self, name: str, url_template: str, arch: str, repo_name: str, options={}, scan=True):
+        self.name = name
+        self.url_template = url_template
+        self.arch = arch
+        self.repo_name = repo_name
+        self.options = deepcopy(options)
+        if scan:
+            self.scan()
+
+
+class RepoInfo:
+    options: dict[str, str] = {}
+    url_template: str
+
+    def __init__(self, url_template: str, options: dict[str, str] = {}):
+        self.url_template = url_template
+        self.options.update(options)
+
+
+class Distro:
+    repos: dict[str, Repo]
+    arch: str
+
+    def __init__(self, arch: str, repo_infos: dict[str, RepoInfo], scan=True):
+        assert (arch in ARCHES)
+        self.arch = arch
+        self.repos = dict[str, Repo]()
+        for repo_name, repo_info in repo_infos.items():
+            self.repos[repo_name] = Repo(
+                name=repo_name,
+                arch=arch,
+                url_template=repo_info.url_template,
+                options=repo_info.options,
+                scan=scan,
+            )
+
+    def get_packages(self):
+        """ get packages from all repos, semantically overlaying them"""
+        results = dict[str, PackageInfo]()
+        for repo in self.repos.values().reverse():
+            assert (repo.packages is not None)
+            for package in repo.packages:
+                results[package.name] = package