Reference

Glossary

191 terms covering AI coding, development tools, deployment, and more.

.

.gitignore: File telling Git which files to ignore.
.env: Local file storing environment variables (never commit).

A

Agentic AI: AI that can take autonomous actions like running code and modifying files.
Autonomous Agent: AI agent that operates without requiring human approval for each action.
Auto-accept Mode: Claude Code feature that auto-approves safe actions.
API (Application Programming Interface): How programs communicate and exchange data.
API Key: Secret code identifying your app for API access.
Auto-scaling: Automatically adjusting servers based on traffic.
Availability Zone: Isolated data center within a cloud region.
AWS CLI: Amazon's command-line tool for AWS services.
apt: Package manager for Ubuntu/Debian Linux.
Android Studio: Official IDE for Android app development.

B

Boilerplate: Standard repetitive code needed in every project.
Build Process: Steps to transform source code into runnable application.
Branch: Separate line of development for new features.
Bundler: Tool combining multiple JS files into optimized bundles.
Blue-Green Deployment: Two identical environments for zero-downtime deploys.

C

Chain of Thought: Prompting technique where AI explains reasoning step by step.
Claude Code: Anthropic's CLI tool for AI-assisted coding in your terminal.
CLAUDE.md: File that gives Claude Code project-specific instructions.
Context Window: Maximum text an AI can process at once, measured in tokens.
Command Line: Where you type commands in a terminal.
CLI (Command Line Interface): Program you use by typing commands, not clicking.
Commit: Saved checkpoint of your code with a description.
Clone: Copying a remote repository to your computer.
Cherry-pick: Applying a specific commit to another branch.
CI/CD: Automated testing and deployment pipelines.
Code Review: Having others review code before merging.
CommonJS vs ESM: Module systems: require() (old) vs import/export (modern).
Container: Isolated environment for running an app.
Container Registry: Storage service for Docker images.
CDN (Content Delivery Network): Global network serving content from nearby locations.
CORS: Security feature controlling cross-domain API requests.
Canary Deployment: Rolling out changes to small user percentage first.
Cold Start: Startup delay for idle serverless functions.
CloudFormation: AWS infrastructure as code using YAML/JSON templates.
CloudFront: AWS CDN for fast global content delivery.
Cloud Build: Google Cloud CI/CD platform.
Cloud Run: GCP serverless platform for Docker containers.
Cloud SQL: GCP managed database (MySQL, PostgreSQL).
Compute Engine: GCP virtual machine service.
Container Apps: Azure serverless container platform.
Connection Pool: Cache of reusable database connections.
Capacitor: Turns web apps into native iOS/Android apps.
Collision Detection: Detecting when game objects overlap.

D

Diff: Shows changes between code versions (added/removed lines).
Debugging: Finding and fixing bugs in code.
Dependencies: External packages your project needs.
Dev Server: Local server for development with hot reload.
Docker: Runs apps in isolated containers for consistency.
Dockerfile: Instructions for building a Docker image.
docker-compose: Runs multiple containers together.
DNS (Domain Name System): Translates domain names to IP addresses.
Domain: Human-readable website address like google.com.
Droplet: DigitalOcean virtual machine.
doctl: DigitalOcean command-line tool.
dnf: Package manager for Fedora Linux.
Deep Linking: URLs that open specific app content.

E

Embedding: Numerical vector representation of text for semantic comparison.
Extended Thinking: Claude's structured reasoning for complex problems.
Endpoint: Specific URL where an API can be accessed.
Environment Variables: Config values stored outside code, often in .env files.
Edge Functions: Serverless functions running close to users globally.
Environment: Deployment context: development, staging, or production.
EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud): AWS virtual machine service.
ECR (Elastic Container Registry): AWS Docker image storage service.
ECS (Elastic Container Service): AWS container orchestration service.
Emulator / Simulator: Software that mimics mobile devices for testing.

F

Few-shot Learning: Providing examples to help AI understand desired format.
Fine-tuning: Training existing AI model on custom data for specific tasks.
Formatting: Auto-styling code for consistent appearance.
Foreign Key: Column linking to another table's primary key.
FPS (Frames Per Second): Screen updates per second (60 = smooth).

G

Guardrails: Constraints preventing AI from harmful actions.
Git: Version control system that tracks code changes.
GitHub Actions: GitHub's built-in CI/CD automation platform.
GraphQL: API query language for requesting specific data.
gcloud CLI: Google Cloud command-line tool.
Game Loop: Continuous cycle: input, update, render (60fps).

H

Hallucination: When AI generates plausible but incorrect information.
Hooks: Claude Code scripts that run before/after actions.
Human-in-the-loop: AI pattern requiring human approval before actions.
Hot Reload / HMR: Instant app updates when you save code changes.
HTTPS: Secure HTTP with encryption.
HTTP Methods: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE - actions for API requests.
Homebrew: Package manager for macOS (brew install).
Hitbox: Invisible shape used for collision detection.

I

IDE (Integrated Development Environment): Code editor with built-in development tools.
IDE Integration: How AI tools connect to your code editor.
Image: Template for creating containers.
IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service): Cloud VMs and raw computing resources.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Managing infrastructure through version-controlled code.
IAM (Identity and Access Management): Manages cloud user permissions and access.
Index: Database optimization for faster queries.

J

JSON: Text format for data using key-value pairs and arrays.
JWT (JSON Web Token): Self-contained token for stateless authentication.

K

Kubernetes (K8s): Platform for managing containers at scale.

L

LLM (Large Language Model): AI model trained on text and code to generate human-like responses.
Linting: Auto-checking code for errors and style issues.
Localhost: Your computer's network address (127.0.0.1).
Load Balancer: Distributes traffic across multiple servers.
Lambda: AWS serverless functions service.

M

MCP (Model Context Protocol): Protocol for connecting AI to external tools and data sources.
Multi-modal: AI that processes text, images, audio, and video.
Markdown: Simple text formatting with # for headers, * for bold.
Merge: Combining changes from one branch into another.
Merge Conflict: When Git can't auto-combine conflicting edits.
Minification: Removing whitespace/comments to reduce code size.
Monorepo: Single repo containing multiple related projects.
Managed Service: Cloud service where provider handles maintenance.
Migration: Versioned database schema changes.

N

Node.js: Runs JavaScript outside the browser for web development.
npm (Node Package Manager): Downloads and manages JavaScript packages.
NoSQL: Non-relational databases (MongoDB, Redis, etc.).
Native Bridge: Connects JavaScript to native device features.

O

OAuth: Protocol for "Sign in with Google"-style authorization.
ORM (Object-Relational Mapping): Tool for database access using code instead of SQL.

P

Prompt: Text input you give to an AI describing what you want.
Prompt Engineering: Crafting effective prompts to get better AI results.
PATH: Variable telling shell where to find programs.
Pull Request (PR): Request to merge code with review by others.
pnpm: Fast, space-efficient package manager.
package.json: File listing project dependencies and scripts.
Port: Number identifying a network service (3000, 443, etc.).
Proxy: Intermediary server that forwards requests.
PaaS (Platform as a Service): Cloud platform where you just deploy code.
Preview Deployment: Automatic deployment for each pull request.
Primary Key: Unique identifier for each database row.
PowerShell: Windows command-line shell (different from bash).
pacman: Package manager for Arch Linux.
Push Notification: Alerts sent to devices when app is closed.
Phaser: JavaScript framework for 2D browser games.
Physics Engine: Simulates movement, gravity, and collisions.

R

RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation): AI technique that retrieves info before generating responses.
Rate Limit: Restriction on API requests per time period.
Repo Rules: Guidelines in your repo that tell AI how to behave.
Refactoring: Restructuring code without changing behavior.
Regex (Regular Expression): Pattern language for matching and manipulating text.
Repository (Repo): Folder tracked by Git with all version history.
Rebase: Rewriting history for a cleaner commit timeline.
REST: API style using HTTP methods and URLs for resources.
RBAC: Assigning permissions through roles like admin/user.
Region: Geographic location for cloud resources.
Rolling Deployment: Updating servers one at a time during deployment.
RDS (Relational Database Service): AWS managed relational database.
Route 53: AWS DNS and domain registration service.

S

Safety Rails: Measures preventing AI from taking dangerous actions.
Semantic Search: Search by meaning, not just keyword matching.
Skills: Pre-defined AI capabilities or reusable workflows.
Slash Commands: Commands starting with / that trigger Claude Code actions.
Streaming: Receiving AI responses in real-time as generated.
System Prompt: Hidden instructions that configure AI behavior.
Shell: Program that interprets terminal commands (bash, zsh, PowerShell).
Scaffolding: Generating initial project structure and files.
Stack Trace: List of function calls leading to an error.
Stash: Temporarily saving uncommitted changes.
SSL/TLS: Encrypts data between browser and server (HTTPS padlock).
Secrets: Sensitive info like API keys that must stay private.
SSH Key: Cryptographic key pair for secure authentication.
SaaS (Software as a Service): Ready-to-use software accessed over the internet.
Serverless: Functions without managing servers; pay per execution.
S3 (Simple Storage Service): AWS object storage for files and assets.
SQL: Language for querying relational databases.
Schema: Database structure definition (tables, columns, types).
sudo: Runs commands with admin privileges.
Sprite: 2D image/animation in games (characters, items, etc.).
Scene: Self-contained game section (menu, level, etc.).
Sprite Sheet: Single image with multiple animation frames.

T

Temperature: Setting controlling AI randomness (lower = more focused).
Token: Basic unit of text AI processes (~4 characters).
Tool Use: AI ability to call external functions during conversation.
Terminal: Text-based interface where you type commands.
TypeScript: JavaScript with static type checking.
Transpiler: Converts code from one language/version to another.
Tree Shaking: Removing unused code during build.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Extra login security requiring password + phone/key.
Terraform: Multi-cloud infrastructure as code tool.
Transaction: Group of operations that succeed or fail together.
Tilemap: Levels built from repeating tile images.

V

Vibecoding: Casual, exploratory approach to AI-assisted coding.
Volume: Persistent storage for containers.
Vercel: Cloud platform optimized for Next.js and frontend.
VPC (Virtual Private Cloud): Isolated private network within cloud provider.

W

WebSocket: Protocol for real-time two-way communication.
WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux): Runs Linux environment inside Windows.
WSL2: Improved WSL with real Linux kernel (recommended).
Windows Terminal: Modern Windows terminal with tabs and WSL support.
WebView: Displays web content inside a native app.

X

Xcode: Apple's IDE for iOS development (macOS only).

Y

YAML: Human-readable config format using indentation.
yarn: Alternative package manager to npm.