Practical tools, no jargon

34 of 34 terms

AgileProcess

An approach that delivers software in short iterations and adapts the plan based on feedback.

APIWeb & Software

Application Programming Interface. A defined way for one piece of software to request data or actions from another.

BackendWeb & Software

The server-side part of an application that stores data, applies business rules and exposes APIs.

BlockchainWeb3

A shared, append-only ledger maintained by many participants, where records are linked and hard to alter after the fact.

CI/CDCloud & DevOps

Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery. Automation that builds, tests and releases code changes frequently and reliably.

ContainerCloud & DevOps

A packaged unit of software that includes its dependencies so it runs the same way across environments. Docker is a common tool.

dAppWeb3

Decentralised application. An app whose back-end logic runs on a blockchain through smart contracts.

DevOpsCloud & DevOps

A set of practices and culture that brings development and operations together to ship and run software reliably.

Discovery phaseProcess

An initial period of research and scoping used to clarify requirements, risks and a realistic plan before building.

EmbeddingAI

A list of numbers representing the meaning of a piece of text or other data, used to find similar items.

Encryption at rest / in transitSecurity

Protecting data with encryption while it is stored (at rest) and while it moves across a network (in transit).

FrontendWeb & Software

The part of an application that runs in the user's browser or device and handles what they see and interact with.

Gas feeWeb3

The fee paid to the network to process a transaction or run a smart contract, for example on Ethereum.

GraphQLWeb & Software

A query language for APIs that lets the client specify exactly which fields it needs in a single request.

HallucinationAI

When a language model produces fluent but incorrect or unsupported information.

Infrastructure as codeCloud & DevOps

Managing servers and cloud resources through version-controlled configuration files instead of manual setup.

KubernetesCloud & DevOps

An open-source system for deploying, scaling and managing containerised applications across a cluster of machines.

LatencyCloud & DevOps

The delay between a request being sent and a response beginning to arrive.

Least privilegeSecurity

Giving users and systems only the minimum access they need to do their job.

LLMAI

Large Language Model. A neural network trained on large amounts of text that can generate and transform language.

MVPProcess

Minimum Viable Product. The smallest version of a product that delivers real value and lets you learn from actual users.

NDASecurity

Non-Disclosure Agreement. A contract in which parties agree to keep specified information confidential.

Penetration testSecurity

An authorised, simulated attack on a system to find security weaknesses before real attackers do.

PromptAI

The input instructions and context given to a language model.

RAGAI

Retrieval-Augmented Generation. Fetching relevant documents first and giving them to a language model so its answer is grounded in that text.

RESTWeb & Software

An API style where resources are addressed by URLs and manipulated with standard HTTP methods such as GET, POST, PUT and DELETE.

RPC nodeWeb3

A blockchain node that exposes a remote procedure call interface so applications can read chain data and submit transactions.

SaaSWeb & Software

Software as a Service. Software hosted by a provider and used by customers over the internet, usually on a subscription.

SLAProcess

Service Level Agreement. A written commitment about the level of service, such as response times or availability.

Smart contractWeb3

A program stored on a blockchain that executes automatically when its conditions are met. Once deployed it is often difficult to change.

SprintProcess

A fixed, short period (commonly one to four weeks) in which a team completes a planned set of work.

Technical debtProcess

The future cost created when shortcuts are taken in code or design; like financial debt, it accrues interest until it is repaid.

Two-factor authenticationSecurity

Requiring two different proofs of identity to sign in, such as a password and a code from an authenticator app.

WalletWeb3

Software or hardware that holds the cryptographic keys used to sign blockchain transactions and prove ownership of assets.