> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tavus.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What Is a PAL?

> A short definition of PAL, how it relates to Face and Conversation, and where to configure one.

A **PAL** (Personified Application Layer) is what you build in Conversational Video Interface (CVI). Configure its **Face** to define how it looks, its **Voice** to define how it sounds, and its behavior, knowledge, objectives, guardrails, tools, and pipeline layers to shape how it thinks and acts.

Face and Voice are separate primitives that you configure as part of the PAL. A **Conversation** is the live session that brings the configured PAL to a participant over WebRTC.

| Piece            | What it is            | What you configure                                                              |
| ---------------- | --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **PAL**          | What you build in CVI | Behavior, knowledge, objectives, guardrails, tools, skills, and pipeline layers |
| **Face**         | How the PAL looks     | A stock Face or a trained Face                                                  |
| **Voice**        | How the PAL sounds    | A Tavus Voice on the PAL's TTS layer or the Face's default                      |
| **Conversation** | One live call         | Which PAL joins, plus session options                                           |

## Why the name matters

Docs and the API use **PAL** for the product you configure, **Face** for how it looks, and **Voice** for how it sounds. Older docs and some endpoints still say **persona** and **replica**. Same ideas: the PAL owns the configuration, while Face and Voice are separate primitives it uses.

Prefer **PAL** and **Face** in new work. Legacy names still work on existing endpoints and request fields (`/v2/personas`, `/v2/replicas`, `persona_id`, `replica_id`, and related aliases) for backward compatibility.

## Where to go next

* [PAL Overview](/sections/conversational-video-interface/pal/overview) - fields, layers, and customization options
* [What Is CVI?](/sections/conversational-video-interface/overview-cvi) - how PAL, Face, and Conversation fit in the full pipeline
* [CVI Quickstart](/sections/conversational-video-interface/quickstart/cvi-quickstart) - create a PAL and start a conversation