Matter architecture and integration

Matter defines an application layer on top of the IPv6-based transport protocols. This allows for routing messages regardless of the underlying physical and link layers.

Matter (formerly Project CHIP) architecture overview

The Matter application layer can be broken down into several main components, from IP framing and transport management up to Data Model structure and Application itself.

Matter is included in the nRF Connect SDK as one of the submodule repositories managed with the West (Zephyr’s meta-tool) tool. That is, the code used for the nRF Connect SDK and Matter integration is stored in the Matter repository (nRF Connect platform) and is compiled when building one of the available Matter samples. Both instances depend on each other, but their development is independent to ensure that they both support the latest stable version of one another.

Matter is located on the top application layer of the integration model, looking from the networking point of view. The nRF Connect SDK and Zephyr provide the Bluetooth® LE and Thread stacks, which must be integrated with the Matter stack using a special intermediate layer. The nRF Connect SDK’s Multiprotocol Service Layer (MPSL) driver allows running Bluetooth LE and Thread concurrently on the same radio chip.

nRF Connect platform in Matter

For detailed description, see the nRF Connect platform overview page in the Matter documentation. If you are new to Matter, check also the tutorials on DevZone.