AI & Programming Glossary

An iterative project management methodology that emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and delivering working software in short cycles (sprints). Popular frameworks: Scrum, Kanban.

A step-by-step set of instructions for solving a problem or completing a task. Algorithms are the foundation of all computer programs and are measured by their efficiency and correctness.

A set of rules that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. APIs define how requests and responses should be formatted, enabling integration between services.

The server-side of a web application — databases, APIs, authentication, and business logic. Everything that happens behind the scenes when a user interacts with a website or app.

An error, flaw, or unexpected behavior in a software program. Bugs can cause crashes, incorrect results, or security vulnerabilities. Debugging is the process of finding and fixing them.

A distributed network of servers that delivers web content to users from the nearest geographic location. CDNs dramatically improve load times, reduce latency, and handle traffic spikes.

Automated practices that integrate code changes, run tests, and deploy applications. CI ensures code is tested on every commit, while CD automates the release process to production.

Delivering computing services — servers, storage, databases, networking — over the internet instead of on local machines. Major providers: AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure.

An organized collection of structured data stored electronically. Types include relational (SQL like PostgreSQL) and non-relational (NoSQL like MongoDB). Essential for every application.

A set of practices combining software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) to shorten the development lifecycle. DevOps emphasizes automation, monitoring, and continuous delivery.

A platform for packaging applications and their dependencies into portable containers. Containers run consistently across any environment, eliminating 'it works on my machine' problems.

Google's UI toolkit for building natively compiled mobile, web, and desktop applications from a single Dart codebase. Known for fast development, expressive UI, and native performance.

A pre-built collection of tools, libraries, and conventions that provides a structure for developing applications. Examples: React, Next.js, Django, Flutter.

The part of a website or app that users see and interact with directly. Built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript — often using frameworks like React, Vue, or Angular.

A developer or application that covers both frontend and backend development. Full-stack developers can build complete web applications from the user interface to the database.

A distributed version control system that tracks changes in source code during development. Git enables multiple developers to collaborate on the same project simultaneously.

A collection of pre-written code that developers can reuse to perform common tasks. Unlike frameworks, libraries are tools you call when needed. Examples: Lodash, Tailwind CSS.

An architecture where an application is built as a collection of small, independent services. Each service handles a specific function and communicates via APIs, enabling scalability and independent deployment.

A React framework by Vercel that adds server-side rendering, static generation, API routes, and more. Next.js enables building production-ready web applications with excellent performance and SEO.

A JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 engine that executes JavaScript on the server side. Node.js enables building fast, scalable backend services and APIs using JavaScript.

Software whose source code is publicly available for anyone to view, modify, and distribute. Popular open-source projects include Linux, React, Python, and VS Code.

A high-level, general-purpose programming language known for its clean syntax and versatility. Widely used in AI/ML, web development, data science, automation, and scripting.

A JavaScript library by Meta for building interactive user interfaces using reusable components. React uses a virtual DOM for efficient updates and is the most popular frontend library.

A web design approach that makes websites automatically adapt to different screen sizes and devices. Uses flexible grids, images, and CSS media queries for optimal viewing on any device.

A standard way of building web APIs using HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE). RESTful APIs are stateless, scalable, and the most common pattern for web services communication.

The practice of optimizing a website to rank higher in search engine results. Includes technical optimization, content strategy, keyword targeting, and building quality backlinks.

Rendering web pages on the server before sending them to the browser. SSR improves initial load performance and SEO because search engines can index fully rendered content.

Security protocols that encrypt data transmitted between a web browser and server. SSL/TLS certificates enable HTTPS, ensuring data privacy, integrity, and authentication.

A superset of JavaScript that adds static type checking. TypeScript catches errors at compile time instead of runtime, making code more reliable and maintainable in large projects.

A system that records changes to files over time, allowing developers to recall previous versions, track modifications, and collaborate. Git is the most widely used version control system.

An HTTP callback that sends real-time data to a URL when a specific event occurs. Webhooks enable automated notifications between applications without constant polling.