- TODO should the details for the store methods belong to the reference section? -->
A _store_ is an object that allows reactive access to a value via a simple _store contract_. The [`svelte/store` module](../svelte-store) contains minimal store implementations which fulfil this contract.
A _store_ is an object that allows reactive access to a value via a simple _store contract_. The [`svelte/store` module](../svelte-store) contains minimal store implementations which fulfill this contract.
Any time you have a reference to a store, you can access its value inside a component by prefixing it with the `$` character. This causes Svelte to declare the prefixed variable, subscribe to the store at component initialisation and unsubscribe when appropriate.