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Carriers are large and long ships, although there is a high degree of variation depending on their intended role and aircraft complement. The size of the carrier has varied over history and among navies, to cater to the various roles that global climates have demanded from naval aviation.

Regardless of size, the ship itself must house their complement of aircraft, with space for launching, storing, and maintaining them. Space is also required for the large crew, supplies (food, munitions, fuel, engineering parts), and propulsion. US and French aircraft carriers are notable for having nuclear reactors powering their systems and propulsion.

The top of the carrier is the flight deck, where aircraft are launched and recovered. On the starboard side of this is the island, where ship navigation from the bridge and air traffic control from flyco are controlled and (in non-nuclear powered vessels), provides the location of the ship's funnel(s). The Queen Elizabeth-class has two island structures; the forward island contains the navigation bridge, while the aft structure houses flyco.

The constraints of constructing a flight deck strongly affect the role of a given carrier, as they influence the weight, type, and configuration of the aircraft that may be launched. For example, assisted launch mechanisms are used primarily for heavy aircraft, especially those loaded with air-to-ground weapons. CATOBAR is most commonly used on US Navy fleet carriers as it allows the deployment of heavy jets with full load-outs, especially on ground-attack missions. STOVL is used by other navies because it is cheaper to operate and still provides good deployment capability for fighter aircraft.