When cloning by restriction digest and ligation, you use restriction enzymes to cut open a plasmid (backbone) and insert a linear fragment of DNA (insert) that has been cut by compatible restriction enzymes. An enzyme, DNA ligase, then covalently binds the plasmid to the new fragment thereby generating a complete, circular plasmid that can be easily maintained in a variety of biological systems. Read on for an in-depth breakdown of how to do perform restriction digests.