Tech Dictionary
Technical terms explained simply, with correct pronunciation and practical examples
All terms
40 termsKubernetes
An open-source platform that deploys, scales and keeps containerized applications running across a group of servers.
MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication)
A sign-in method that requires two or more proofs of identity of different types, such as a password plus a key or code, so a stolen password is not enough.
Phishing
A scam by email, message, call or fake website that impersonates someone trusted to steal credentials or money, or to install malware.
Ransomware
Malware that encrypts an organization's files and systems, and often steals its data, to demand payment for recovering them or for not publishing them.
Zero Trust
A security model that trusts no one for being inside the network: every access is verified by identity, device and context, with minimum permission.
COBOL
Business-oriented language designed in 1959 that still runs critical billing, payroll and accounting processes in many organizations.
Delphi
Rapid development environment based on Object Pascal, launched by Borland in 1995 and now owned by Embarcadero. Widely used in Windows business systems.
Mainframe
Large-capacity computer built for continuous operation and very high transaction volumes. Still the core platform of many banks and large organizations.
Nearshore
Contracting software teams in a nearby country, with a similar time zone and work culture, to collaborate in real time at a lower cost than locally.
PowerBuilder
Rapid development tool for enterprise client/server applications, known for its DataWindow component. Created by Powersoft in 1991 and now developed by Appeon.
Rehost, Replatform, Refactor (the Rs of cloud migration)
Cloud migration strategies ranked by how much the application changes, from moving it as-is (rehost) to redesigning it (refactor). AWS calls them the 7 Rs.
Staff Augmentation
Industry term for a model where an organization brings technology professionals from an external provider into its own team, under its direction.
Strangler Fig (pattern)
Modernization pattern that replaces a legacy system piece by piece: new features grow around the old one until it can be switched off, with no big bang.
Technical Debt
The future cost of shortcuts or postponed improvements in software: every later change gets slower, costlier and riskier until the debt is paid.
Visual Basic 6 (VB6)
The last classic Visual Basic (1998). Its development environment lost support in 2008, yet many business desktop applications still run on its runtime.
Backend
The part of an application that runs on the server: business logic, databases, authentication and everything the user never sees directly.
Frontend
The part of an application or website the user sees and interacts with: the visual interface, buttons and forms that run in the browser or device.
Kanban
Agile method for visual workflow management that uses a board with columns to represent task status and limit work in progress.
Agile
Software development philosophy that prioritizes incremental value delivery, customer collaboration, and adaptation to change over rigid planning.
JWT
JSON Web Token. Open standard (RFC 7519) for passing information between parties as a compact, self-contained JSON object that is digitally signed.
REST
Representational State Transfer. Architectural style for web APIs that uses standard HTTP methods and resources to build simple, scalable interfaces.
Microservices
Architectural style where an application is built as a collection of small, independent services, each running its own process and communicating through APIs.
DevOps
Culture and set of practices that unites development (Dev) and operations (Ops) teams to deliver software faster, more reliably, and continuously.
Docker
Container platform that allows packaging applications with all their dependencies so they run identically in any environment.
API
Application Programming Interface. A set of rules and protocols that allows different software systems to communicate with each other.
LLM
Large Language Model - Large-scale language models that can understand and generate human-like text, such as those powering GPT, Claude, and Gemini.
RAG
Retrieval-Augmented Generation - Technique that combines document retrieval with LLMs to generate responses based on up-to-date and specific information.
Intent-Driven Development
Building software with AI agents where the intent — goal, constraints and acceptance criteria — is written out so the agent builds what was actually meant.
Repository Intelligence
The ability of AI tools to understand and analyze the complete context of a code repository, including structure, dependencies, and patterns.
Agentic AI
Artificial intelligence systems that can act autonomously, make decisions, and execute complex tasks with minimal human intervention.
CI/CD
Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery/Deployment. Development practices that automate code integration and delivery to production.
MCP (Model Context Protocol)
Open protocol, introduced by Anthropic in 2024, that standardizes how AI applications connect to external tools, data, and services.
Prompt Injection
Attack where someone hides instructions in content an AI system processes, to make it leak data or take actions it was never authorized to take.
Shift Left Security
Practice of integrating security testing and controls earlier in the software development lifecycle, instead of leaving them for the end.
SLM (Small Language Model)
Small and efficient language models, designed for specific tasks with lower resource consumption than giant LLMs.
Bug
An error or defect in code that causes unexpected or incorrect behavior in software. One of the most iconic terms in programming.
Debug
The process of identifying, analyzing, and fixing errors (bugs) in code. A fundamental skill for every developer.
Hardcoded
Fixed values written directly in source code instead of getting them from configuration, database, or user input. A generally discouraged practice.
Scrum
A lightweight framework that helps people, teams and organizations generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems.
Sprint
A fixed-length period (one month or less) in Scrum during which one or more Done, usable product Increments are created.
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