Software Terms Explained Simply

A file that stores environment variables for your local development environment

Showing different versions of something to different users to see which performs better

Computer systems that can learn, reason, and make decisions like humans

Tools that track and report how visitors interact with your website or app

A way for different software applications to talk to each other and share data

A cleaner way to write code that waits for slow operations to complete

The process of verifying who someone is, usually through a username and password

Determining what actions or data a verified user is allowed to access

Amazon Web Services, the world's largest cloud computing platform offering hundreds of services

Microsoft's cloud computing platform, popular with enterprises using Microsoft products

The behind-the-scenes part of an application that handles data, logic, and communication with databases

A task that runs behind the scenes without making users wait for it to complete

A copy of your data stored separately in case the original is lost or corrupted

Binary Large Object - a way to store files like images, videos, or documents as raw data

An independent line of development that lets you work on features without affecting the main code

An error or flaw in software that causes it to behave unexpectedly

The process of converting your source code into the optimised version that runs in production

Combining multiple files into fewer files for more efficient loading

A temporary storage that keeps copies of frequently accessed data for faster retrieval

A function that runs after another operation completes

A network of servers around the world that stores copies of your content closer to users

Automated processes that test your code (Continuous Integration) and deploy it (Continuous Deployment) whenever you make changes

Command Line Interface - a way to interact with software by typing text commands

Code or processing that happens in the user's browser

Using remote servers over the internet instead of your own computers

A program designed specifically for writing and editing code

Having other developers examine your code changes before they're merged

A saved snapshot of your code changes with a message describing what changed

Converting code from one form to another, typically from human-readable to machine-executable

A reusable building block of a user interface that can be combined to create complex pages

A lightweight, isolated package containing an application and everything it needs to run

Measuring when users complete desired actions like purchases, signups, or downloads

A small piece of data stored in your browser that websites use to remember you

A scheduled task that runs automatically at specific times or intervals

The four basic operations for managing data: Create, Read, Update, and Delete

The language that controls how websites look, including colours, fonts, spacing, and layout

An organised collection of data that your application can store, retrieve, and update

The process of finding and fixing bugs in your code

External code that your project needs to function

The process of making your application available for users to access on the internet

Your local setup where you write and test code before deploying

Plans and systems for restoring operations after major failures

The internet's phone book that translates domain names into the server addresses computers understand

A tool that packages your application and everything it needs to run into a standardised container

The human-readable web address people type to visit your website, like '13labs.com.au'

End-to-end test that simulates a real user completing tasks in your application

Code that runs on servers close to your users around the world, rather than in one central location

Scrambling data so only authorised parties can read it

A specific URL where your API receives requests and sends responses

Secret settings stored outside your code, like passwords and API keys

Code that gracefully manages problems instead of crashing or showing confusing messages

React's improved hot reload that preserves component state while updating code

Switches that let you turn features on or off without deploying new code

Automatically arranging code to follow consistent style rules

A foundation of pre-built code that provides structure and common functionality for building apps

The part of a website or app that users see and interact with directly

Working on both the frontend (what users see) and backend (the server and database) of an application

Google Cloud Platform, Google's cloud computing services competing with AWS

A system that tracks every change to your code, letting you see history, undo mistakes, and collaborate with others

A website where developers store, share, and collaborate on code using Git

An alternative to REST APIs that lets you request exactly the data you need in a single call

Converting data into a fixed-length code that cannot be reversed to reveal the original

Adding more servers to handle increased load

A service that stores your website or application and serves it to users when they visit

Automatically updating your app when you save code changes, without a full refresh

The language that defines the structure and content of web pages

The secure version of HTTP that encrypts all data sent between a browser and website

The process where JavaScript takes over a server-rendered page to make it interactive

Infrastructure as a Service - renting virtual computers and infrastructure in the cloud

Integrated Development Environment - a specialised program for writing, testing, and debugging code

Automatically loading more content as you scroll down, without clicking to the next page

A test that checks if multiple parts of your system work correctly together

Updating static pages in the background without rebuilding your entire site

A modern web architecture using JavaScript, APIs, and Markup for fast, secure sites

The programming language that makes websites interactive and dynamic

A secure digital pass that proves who you are without needing to check the database every time

A system for automatically managing, scaling, and deploying containerised applications

The time delay between a request and its response

A collection of pre-written code that performs specific tasks you can use in your project

Automatically checking your code for errors, bugs, and style issues

A system that distributes incoming traffic across multiple servers to prevent any one from being overwhelmed

Platforms that minimise coding through visual tools but allow custom code when needed

Combining code changes from one branch into another

Hidden information in your web pages that tells search engines and social media about your content

An architecture where an application is built as many small, independent services that work together

Code that runs between receiving a request and sending a response, often handling common tasks

A controlled way to change your database structure over time, with the ability to undo changes

A design approach that starts with the mobile version and then adds enhancements for larger screens

A self-contained piece of code that can be imported and used in other parts of your project

A popular NoSQL database that stores data as flexible documents similar to JSON

An application where all features are built and deployed as a single unit

Minimum Viable Product - the simplest version of your product that delivers value to users

A framework built on React that adds features like page routing, server-side rendering, and API handling

Tools that let you build applications using visual interfaces without writing any code

A platform that lets you run JavaScript on servers, not just in browsers

Databases that store data differently from traditional tables, often as flexible documents or key-value pairs

The default package manager for JavaScript, with millions of free packages available

A standard that lets you log into apps using your existing accounts from Google, Facebook, or other providers

A tool that lets you work with database data using your programming language instead of SQL

Platform as a Service - cloud services that let you deploy apps without managing servers

A bundle of code that can be easily shared and reused across projects

A tool that installs, updates, and manages the external code libraries your project uses

Breaking large lists of data into smaller pages that load separately

A fast, space-efficient alternative to npm for managing JavaScript packages

Repeatedly checking for new data at regular intervals

A powerful, free, open-source database known for reliability and advanced features

The live environment where real users access your application

A way to handle operations that will complete in the future, with success or failure

Data passed from a parent component to a child component to customise its appearance or behaviour

An early model of a product used to test ideas and gather feedback

A request to merge your code changes into the main project, allowing others to review first

Uploading your local commits to a remote repository like GitHub

A request to retrieve, create, update, or delete data from a database

A list of tasks waiting to be processed in order

Restricting how many requests a user or system can make in a given time period

A popular tool for building user interfaces, created by Facebook, that makes complex UIs easier to manage

Features that update instantly without needing to refresh the page

Improving existing code's structure and clarity without changing what it does

The process of turning your code and data into the visual display users see

A storage location for your project's code and its complete history

Designing websites that automatically adjust their layout to look good on any screen size

A standard way to design APIs that uses simple web addresses and common actions like GET (read) and POST (create)

Recovering data or systems from a backup

A URL pattern that maps to specific code or content in your application

Amazon's popular cloud storage service for storing any amount of data

Software as a Service - applications you access online and pay for through subscriptions

Cleaning user input to remove potentially harmful content

Your application's ability to handle growth in users, data, or traffic

A blueprint that defines the structure of your data, including fields and their types

Software Development Kit - tools and libraries for working with a specific service or platform

Techniques to help your website appear higher in search engine results

A computer that runs continuously to handle requests, store data, and serve your application to users

Code or processing that happens on the server before sending results to the browser

A way to run code without managing your own servers, where the cloud provider handles everything

A way to remember information about a user while they're using your app

A file that lists all the pages on your website to help search engines find and index them

A language for communicating with databases, used to create, read, update, and delete data

Building all pages at deploy time rather than on each request

Security technology that encrypts data sent between your website and your users

Generating web pages on the server for each request, then sending complete HTML to the browser

A test environment that mirrors production for final testing before release

Data that a component keeps track of and can change over time

A website with pre-built pages that are the same for every visitor

Services that store files like images, documents, and videos in the cloud

A CSS framework that lets you style elements directly in your HTML using pre-built utility classes

Shortcuts or quick fixes in code that work now but will need to be properly fixed later

A text-based interface for running commands on your computer

Verifying that your code works correctly through automated checks

Slowing down requests instead of blocking them entirely when limits are approached

The amount of work your system can handle in a given time period

A piece of data that represents your identity or permissions

Verifying that data types match what your code expects

JavaScript with added type checking that catches errors before your code runs

A test that checks if a small piece of code works correctly in isolation

The percentage of time your application is available and working

Checking that data meets requirements before processing it

A popular platform for deploying web applications, especially Next.js sites

A system that records changes to files over time, allowing you to recall specific versions later

Upgrading a server to be more powerful with more CPU, memory, or storage

Writing code with AI assistance, describing what you want in plain language and letting AI generate the code

A lightweight copy of the page that React uses to figure out what needs to change

An automatic notification that one app sends to another when something happens

A persistent connection between browser and server that allows instant two-way communication