diff --git a/docs/internal/DistributedArchitectureGuide.md b/docs/internal/DistributedArchitectureGuide.md
index 11a2c860eb326..ed1b722dbb397 100644
--- a/docs/internal/DistributedArchitectureGuide.md
+++ b/docs/internal/DistributedArchitectureGuide.md
@@ -229,19 +229,45 @@ works in parallel with the storage engine.)
 
 # Allocation
 
-(AllocationService runs on the master node)
-
-(Discuss different deciders that limit allocation. Sketch / list the different deciders that we have.)
-
-### APIs for Balancing Operations
-
-(Significant internal APIs for balancing a cluster)
-
-### Heuristics for Allocation
-
-### Cluster Reroute Command
-
-(How does this command behave with the desired auto balancer.)
+### Core Components
+
+The `DesiredBalanceShardsAllocator` is what runs shard allocation decisions. It leverages the `DesiredBalanceComputer` to produce
+`DesiredBalance` instances for the cluster based on the latest cluster changes (add/remove nodes, create/remove indices, load, etc.). Then
+the `DesiredBalanceReconciler` is invoked to choose the next steps to take to move the cluster from the current shard allocation to the
+latest computed `DesiredBalance` shard allocation. The `DesiredBalanceReconciler` will apply changes to a copy of the `RoutingNodes`, which
+is then published in a cluster state update that will reach the data nodes to start the individual shard recovery/deletion/move work.
+
+The `DesiredBalanceReconciler` is throttled by cluster settings, like the max number of concurrent shard moves and recoveries per cluster
+and node: this is why the `DesiredBalanceReconciler` will make, and publish via cluster state updates, incremental changes to the cluster
+shard allocation. The `DesiredBalanceShardsAllocator` is the endpoint for reroute requests, which may trigger immediate requests to the
+`DesiredBalanceReconciler`, but asynchronous requests to the `DesiredBalanceComputer` via the `ContinuousComputation` component. Cluster
+state changes that affect shard balancing (for example index deletion) all call some reroute method interface that reaches the
+`DesiredBalanceShardsAllocator` to run reconciliation and queue a request for the `DesiredBalancerComputer`, leading to desired balance
+computation and reconciliation actions. Asynchronous completion of a new `DesiredBalance` will also invoke a reconciliation action, as will
+cluster state updates completing shard moves/recoveries (unthrottling the next shard move/recovery).
+
+The `ContinuousComputation` saves the latest desired balance computation request, which holds the cluster information at the time of that
+request, and a thread that runs the `DesiredBalanceComputer`. The `ContinuousComputation` thread takes the latest request, with the
+associated cluster information, feeds it into the `DesiredBalanceComputer` and publishes a `DesiredBalance` back to the
+`DesiredBalanceShardsAllocator` to use for reconciliation actions. Sometimes the `ContinuousComputation` thread's desired balance
+computation will be signalled to exit early and publish the initial `DesiredBalance` improvements it has made, when newer rebalancing
+requests (due to cluster state changes) have arrived, or in order to begin recovery of unassigned shards as quickly as possible.
+
+### Rebalancing Process
+
+There are different priorities in shard allocation, reflected in which moves the `DesiredBalancerReconciler` selects to do first given that
+it can only move, recover, or remove a limited number of shards at once. The first priority is assigning unassigned shards, primaries being
+more important than replicas. The second is to move shards that violate any rule (such as node resource limits) as defined by an
+`AllocationDecider`. The `AllocationDeciders` holds a group of `AllocationDecider` implementations that place hard constraints on shard
+allocation. There is a decider, `DiskThresholdDecider`, that manages disk memory usage thresholds, such that further shards may not be
+allowed assignment to a node, or shards may be required to move off because they grew to exceed the disk space; or another,
+`FilterAllocationDecider`, that excludes a configurable list of indices from certain nodes; or `MaxRetryAllocationDecider` that will not
+attempt to recover a shard on a certain node after so many failed retries. The third priority is to rebalance shards to even out the
+relative weight of shards on each node: the intention is to avoid, or ease, future hot-spotting on data nodes due to too many shards being
+placed on the same data node. Node shard weight is based on a sum of factors: disk memory usage, projected shard write load, total number
+of shards, and an incentive to distribute shards within the same index across different nodes. See the `WeightFunction` and
+`NodeAllocationStatsAndWeightsCalculator` classes for more details on the weight calculations that support the `DesiredBalanceComputer`
+decisions.
 
 # Autoscaling