Your Apple-ID account is used to make purchases and download software from the various Apple online stores, such as the Mac App Store, the iPhone App Store and similar.it is also used for iCloud mail, if you choose to participate. Your Apple-ID tracks all the hardware that logs in with that Apple-ID, and is required when updating or upgrading software. Since it is an online account, an Internet connection is required to validate your credentials.
When you first take your Mac out of the box and turn on your Mac for the first time, you create a User-ID and password. These are stored, encrypted, locally on your Mac and are not shared online in any form. The User-ID and password you enter is required when you start up your Mac. (If you are the only User, you may have chosen to auto-login, but that merely stores the login User-ID and password and enters them automatically at startup.)
This User-ID and password are the credentials required to grant read access to your files.