Technical basics

https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/technical
Last changed: 2026-11-14. Dates track content changes, not independent source checks.

• Open source

  Concept

  Software whose code is published for anyone to read, use and build on, under a license that sets…

• Front end

  Concept

  The part of an app or website that people see and tap, running in their browser or on their phone.

• Database

  Concept

  Organized storage for your app's information, such as users, orders and messages, so it can be…

• Tech stack

  Concept

  The set of programming languages and tools a product is built with.

• API

  Concept

  Application programming interface.

• Back end

  Concept

  The part of an app that runs out of sight on a server.

• Code

  Concept

  Exact written instructions that tell a computer what to do, step by step.

• Software engineer

  Concept

  A person who designs, writes and maintains code for a living.

• Testing

  Concept

  Checking that software does what it should, before your users find the problems for you.

• Web app vs mobile app

  Concept

  A web app runs in a browser at a web address, on any device.

• Repository

  Concept

  The folder where a project's code lives, together with the full history of every change made to it.

• Open source hardware

  Concept

  Physical products whose design files are published so anyone can study, change, make and sell the…

• Terminal

  Concept

  A text window where a person types commands to a computer and reads its replies.

• Version control

  Concept

  A system that records every change to the code, who made it and when.

• Authentication

  Concept

  Checking that a person is who they say they are, usually with a login.

• Technical debt

  Concept

  Shortcuts taken while building software that save time now but make later changes slower and…

• HTML

  Concept

  HyperText Markup Language.

• Technical co-founder

  Concept

  A founding partner who can build the product themselves and who makes the technology decisions.

• Web browser

  Concept

  The app people use to open websites and web apps, such as Chrome or Safari.

• Content management system

  Concept

  Software that lets people create and edit a website's content, such as pages, posts and images…

• Operating system

  Concept

  The base software that runs a computer or phone, such as Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS or Android.

• Pull request

  Concept

  A request to merge the changes on one branch into the main code.

• Bug

  Concept

  A mistake in software that makes it behave in a way nobody intended.

• CSS

  Concept

  Cascading Style Sheets.

• Data model

  Concept

  The plan for what information an app stores and how the pieces relate, such as customers, orders…

• DevOps

  Concept

  The practice, and job, of combining software development with running it in production: automating…

• CI/CD

  Concept

  Continuous integration and continuous delivery: automation that runs the tests on every change…

• Code editor

  Concept

  The program a developer uses to read and write code.

• HTML5

  Concept

  The current version of HTML.

• Learning management system

  Concept

  Software for delivering and tracking training or classes: lessons, quizzes, assignments and who…

• API contract

  Concept

  An agreement on exactly what requests an API accepts and what responses it returns.

• API key

  Concept

  A secret code that identifies your app to another service so that service will answer its API…

• Branch

  Concept

  A separate line of work inside a repository.

• CTO

  Concept

  Chief technology officer.

• Data integrity

  Concept

  Whether data stays accurate, complete and consistent over time.

• Data literacy

  Concept

  The ability to read, question and use data: knowing what a field or number actually means, where…

• Package manager

  Concept

  A tool that downloads and updates the pieces of shared code, called packages, that a project…

• REST API

  Concept

  A common style of API where each kind of data lives at its own web address and software reads or…

• Commit

  Concept

  One saved change in version control: a snapshot of the code with a short note saying what changed…

• Data warehouse

  Concept

  A central database that collects copies of data from many business systems so it can be analyzed…

• Markdown

  Concept

  A simple way to format plain text with symbols, such as # for a heading and * for a bullet.

• MediaStream Recording API

  Concept

  A browser feature that records audio or video from a microphone, camera or media element so a web…

• ORM

  Concept

  Object-relational mapping.

• SDK

  Concept

  Software development kit.

• Server-side rendering

  Concept

  Building a web page's HTML on the server before sending it, instead of in the visitor's browser.

• Data normalization

  Concept

  Making records consistent so the same thing is always written the same way, and, in database…

• DOM

  Concept

  Document Object Model.

• Feature flag

  Concept

  A switch in the code that turns a feature on or off without shipping new code.

• Fork

  Concept

  A copy of someone else's repository under your own account, which you can change freely.

• Headless commerce

  Concept

  Running a store's products, cart and checkout on one system while building the shopping screens…

• JSON

  Concept

  JavaScript Object Notation.

• Knowledge graph

  Concept

  A way of storing information as things and the named connections between them, such as 'course A…

• Lexical search

  Concept

  Search that matches the exact words in a query.

• Merge conflict

  Concept

  What happens when two branches change the same lines of code in different ways, so version control…

• Mesh network

  Concept

  A network where devices pass data to each other instead of each one needing its own connection to…

• OpenAPI

  Concept

  A standard format for describing what an API offers: its addresses, what each one expects and what…

• Pair programming

  Concept

  Two people writing code together at one screen, one typing and one reviewing and thinking ahead…

• Recommendation engine

  Concept

  Software that suggests items a person is likely to want, based on what they and similar people…

• Red-green-refactor

  Concept

  A way of writing code in three steps: write a test that fails (red), write just enough code to…

• Technical due diligence

  Concept

  A review of a company's technology by an outside expert before an investment or an acquisition…

• APNG

  Concept

  Animated PNG.

• Apple Silicon

  Concept

  Apple's own family of chips used in Mac computers and iPads.

• Audio stem

  Concept

  One part of a song exported as its own audio file, such as only the drums or only the vocals, so…

• CAD

  Concept

  Computer-aided design.

• Digital audio workstation

  Concept

  Software for recording, editing and mixing music and other audio.

• Function coloring

  Concept

  A nickname for a problem in many programming languages: functions that wait on slow work (async)…

• Graceful degradation

  Concept

  Designing a system so that when one part fails, the rest keeps working in a simpler way instead of…

• Join table

  Concept

  A database table whose only job is to connect two other tables when items on each side can link to…

• JSONC

  Concept

  JSON with comments.

• Makefile

  Concept

  A file that lists named shortcuts for a project's routine commands, run with a tool called make.

• Management information systems

  Concept

  A field of study, and a common university major in business schools, about how organizations use…

• Meta box

  Concept

  A panel on a WordPress editing screen with extra fields for a post, such as an event date or a…

• Permalink

  Concept

  A web address for one specific page or item that is meant never to change, so links to it keep…

• Picture-in-picture

  Concept

  A feature that keeps a video playing in a small floating window while the person uses other apps…

• Projection mapping

  Concept

  Projecting video onto an uneven surface, such as a building, and shaping the image to fit it…

• Promise chain

  Concept

  A way of writing code for steps that take time, such as network requests, so each step starts when…

• RSS

  Concept

  A standard format websites use to publish a list of their newest posts so other software can check…

• Shortcode

  Concept

  A short tag in square brackets, used in WordPress and similar systems, that a plugin replaces with…

• WebAssembly

  Concept

  A format that lets code written in languages like C, C++ or Rust run in a web browser at close to…

• WebM

  Concept

  An open video file format made for the web.