Glossary
Concise explanations of terms from development, data, APIs, security, and application operations. · 117 terms
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AI agent
An AI system that can use tools and respond to their results over several steps while completing a task.
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AJAX
Asynchronous communication between a web page and server without a full page reload.
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API
An interface through which applications, services, or libraries exchange data and commands.
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Authentication
The process of verifying the identity of a user, service, or device.
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Authorization
The decision whether a verified identity may perform a specific operation.
B
C
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Cache
Temporary storage of a result for faster repeated access.
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Cache invalidation
Removing or invalidating temporarily stored data after its source changes.
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CI/CD
Automated verification of changes and their controlled delivery or deployment.
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Class and object
A class describes structure and behaviour; an object is a specific instance of it.
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Clean Architecture
An architectural approach that separates business rules from technical details through controlled dependencies.
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Client and server
A communication model in which a client asks a server for data or to perform an operation.
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Client-side rendering
Rendering an application’s main content in the browser using JavaScript.
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Composer
A tool for managing PHP dependencies, package versions, and autoloading.
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Content Security Policy
An HTTP policy that defines trusted sources for content loaded by a page.
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Cookie
A small piece of data stored by a browser and sent with matching web requests.
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CORS
A browser mechanism that controls a web application’s access to resources from another origin.
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CSRF
An attack that abuses credentials sent automatically by a browser.
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CSS
A language that controls the appearance, layout, and responsive behaviour of web content.
D
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Data type
A description of a value’s kind and the operations that can be performed on it.
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Database
An organised data store that supports storing, changing, and retrieving data.
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Database column and data type
The definition of one item of data in a table and the values it can store.
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Database constraint
A rule enforced by a database to protect the integrity of stored data.
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Database index
A data structure that accelerates selected database queries.
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Database migration
A versioned, controlled change to database structure between application versions.
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Database normalization
The design of relational data to reduce unnecessary repetition and inconsistency.
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Database schema
The structure of database objects, tables, relationships, and rules.
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Database table
A structure that stores records of the same type in rows and columns.
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Database transaction
A group of database operations committed or rolled back as one unit.
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Dependency Injection
Providing an object’s required services from outside instead of creating them inside the class.
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Deptrac
A tool for automatically checking dependencies between layers of a PHP application.
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Distributed lock
A mechanism that limits concurrent critical work across processes or servers.
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DNS
A system that translates domain names into technical data needed for network communication.
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Docker
A platform for building, distributing, and running applications in containers.
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Doctrine DBAL
A PHP database layer providing connections, queries, and schema-management tools.
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Doctrine ORM
A PHP ORM that maps objects and relationships to records in a relational database.
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DOM
An object-tree representation of a web document that JavaScript can work with.
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Domain name
A hierarchical name used to address internet services.
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Domain-Driven Design
A software design approach based on a deep understanding of the problem domain and a shared language.
E
F
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Foreign key
A database rule that links a record to a row in another or the same table.
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Framework
A prebuilt structure and set of tools for developing applications.
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Frontend
The user-facing part of an application, typically running in a browser or client device.
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Function
A reusable block of a program with inputs, behaviour, and an optional return value.
G
H
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Hexagonal architecture
An architectural approach that separates the application core from surrounding technologies through ports and adapters.
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HMAC
A code created with a shared secret to verify a message’s integrity and origin.
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HTML
A markup language that describes the structure and meaning of a web document.
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HTTP
A protocol for transferring requests and responses between a client and web server.
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HTTP header
Metadata transferred with an HTTP request or response.
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HTTP status code
A numeric representation of the result of processing an HTTP request.
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HTTPS and TLS
Mechanisms for encrypted, authenticated communication between a client and server.
I
J
L
M
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MCP
Model Context Protocol, a standard for connecting AI applications to external tools and context.
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Message queue
A mechanism for passing tasks and events asynchronously between parts of a system.
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MIME type
A standardised identifier for the format and nature of transferred content.
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MySQL
A relational database system used for web, enterprise, and other applications.
N
O
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OAuth 2.0
A framework for delegated authorization of client applications.
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Object-oriented programming
A way to design programs using collaborating objects with state and behaviour.
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OpenAPI
A machine-readable standard for describing HTTP APIs.
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OpenID Connect
An identity layer on top of OAuth 2.0 for signing users in.
P
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PHP
A server-side programming language for web applications, APIs, e-commerce, and internal systems.
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PHP_CodeSniffer
A tool for checking and automatically fixing coding standards in PHP code.
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PHP-FPM
A FastCGI process manager used to run PHP web applications.
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PHPStan
A tool for static analysis of PHP code.
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PHPUnit
A testing framework for automated testing of PHP applications.
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Playwright
A tool for web browser automation and end-to-end testing.
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PostgreSQL
A relational database system focused on data integrity and advanced queries.
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Primary key
A value or combination of values that uniquely identifies a table row.
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Progressive Web App
A web application enhanced with capabilities such as installation or limited offline operation.
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R
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RabbitMQ
A message broker for transferring and routing messages between applications.
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Rate limiting
Limiting the number of requests or operations within a given period.
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RBAC
An authorization model that assigns permissions to users through roles.
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Redis
An in-memory data store for caching, expiration, counters, and process coordination.
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Relational database
A database that organises data into interconnected tables.
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Repository
A store for source code, change history, and related project files.
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Responsive design
Adapting an interface to different screen sizes, orientations, and input devices.
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REST API
An HTTP interface style organised around resources, standard methods, and clear statuses.
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Retry
The controlled repetition of an operation after a temporary failure.
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Reverse proxy
A server that receives requests and forwards them to the appropriate backend services.
S
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Server-side rendering
Creating an HTML page on the server before sending it to the browser.
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Session
User or client state maintained across multiple HTTP requests.
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Single-page application
A web application that changes content mostly without loading a completely new HTML page.
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SOLID
Five object-oriented design principles focused on responsibilities and dependencies in code.
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SQL
A language for defining, reading, and changing data in relational databases.
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SQL injection
A vulnerability caused by constructing an SQL query from untrusted input.
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SQLite
An embedded relational database that typically stores a database in one file without a separate database server.
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Static code analysis
Automated inspection of source code without running it, focused on types and invalid calls.
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Symfony
A PHP framework and set of components for web applications, APIs, and console tasks.
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U
V
W
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Web accessibility
Designing and developing the web so people with different abilities and interaction methods can use it.
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Web application
An interactive application delivered through web technologies.
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Web form
A set of controls used to collect and submit user data.
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Web hosting
A service that provides infrastructure and resources for operating a website or web application.
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Web server
Software that receives HTTP requests and returns static or dynamic content.
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Webhook
An HTTP event notification sent to a predefined address.
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WebSocket
A protocol for persistent, two-way communication between a client and server.
X
Y
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Recommended terms
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PHP
A server-side programming language for web applications, APIs, e-commerce, and internal systems.
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HTML
A markup language that describes the structure and meaning of a web document.
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CSS
A language that controls the appearance, layout, and responsive behaviour of web content.
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JavaScript
A programming language used for web application interactivity and other kinds of software.
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HTTP
A protocol for transferring requests and responses between a client and web server.
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API
An interface through which applications, services, or libraries exchange data and commands.
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Database
An organised data store that supports storing, changing, and retrieving data.
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Authentication
The process of verifying the identity of a user, service, or device.
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Docker
A platform for building, distributing, and running applications in containers.
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Variable
A named binding to a value used while a program runs.
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Function
A reusable block of a program with inputs, behaviour, and an optional return value.
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Data type
A description of a value’s kind and the operations that can be performed on it.
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Latest terms
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AI agent
An AI system that can use tools and respond to their results over several steps while completing a task.
-
Clean Architecture
An architectural approach that separates business rules from technical details through controlled dependencies.
-
Domain-Driven Design
A software design approach based on a deep understanding of the problem domain and a shared language.
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ECS
Easy Coding Standard, a tool for automatically checking and formatting PHP code style.
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Hexagonal architecture
An architectural approach that separates the application core from surrounding technologies through ports and adapters.
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MCP
Model Context Protocol, a standard for connecting AI applications to external tools and context.
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MySQL
A relational database system used for web, enterprise, and other applications.
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Playwright
A tool for web browser automation and end-to-end testing.
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SOLID
Five object-oriented design principles focused on responsibilities and dependencies in code.
-
SQLite
An embedded relational database that typically stores a database in one file without a separate database server.
No terms match your search.