IT Glossary
Key Terms To Know In The IT Industry
API (Application Programming Interface)
An API acts as a mediator allowing two applications to communicate with each other, enabling data exchange and functionality sharing. It's crucial for developing software applications and integrating different systems.
You will find this term commonly used in General IT, Development
API Call
A request sent by a client application to a server, often over the internet, using an Application Programming Interface (API) to request data or execute a function, allowing for interaction between different software systems.
You will find this term commonly used in Web Development, APIs
API Contract Testing
A testing method that verifies whether a particular API adheres to its documented contract, ensuring that it meets the agreed-upon expectations for functionality, performance, and security between the API provider and consumers.
You will find this term commonly used in Software Testing, API Development
API Discovery and Cataloging
The process of identifying all the APIs within an organization, documenting their functionalities, and organizing them into a searchable catalog for developers and stakeholders, facilitating reuse and collaboration.
You will find this term commonly used in API Management, Software Development
API Economy
The API Economy refers to the way APIs can positively affect an organization's profitability by allowing the use of services across different applications and platforms, enhancing connectivity and integration.
You will find this term commonly used in Web Development, Business
API Endpoint
A specific point at the end of an API that references a specific resource or operation the API can perform.
You will find this term commonly used in Web Development, API Management
API First Design
API First Design is a strategy in software development where the API is considered the first step in the development process, prioritizing its design and specification before the implementation of the software itself, to ensure a well-structured and scalable application.
You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Web Development
API Gateway
An API Gateway is a management tool that sits between a client and a collection of backend services, acting as a reverse proxy to accept all application programming interface (API) calls, aggregate the various services required to fulfill them, and return the appropriate result.
You will find this term commonly used in Cloud Computing, Networking
API Integration Platform
A set of tools and services that allow developers to connect and integrate different APIs and services, facilitating the development of new applications and services by combining functionalities.
You will find this term commonly used in API Management, Software Development
API Management
API Management involves the processes of creating, publishing, documenting, and analyzing APIs in a secure and scalable environment, facilitating the monitoring and control of the APIs exposed to both internal and external developers.
You will find this term commonly used in Web Development, Networking
API Mashup
A web application that combines data or functionality from two or more sources via their APIs, creating a new service that was not offered by the individual sources alone.
You will find this term commonly used in Web Development, Integration
API Middleware
API Middleware refers to software that mediates between two or more software applications or layers to facilitate their interaction, often used to manage requests, data formatting, and communication between components of distributed systems.
You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Networking
API Mocking
The process of creating a simulated version of an API that mimics the behavior of the real API, used for testing, development, and training purposes without relying on the actual API backend.
You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Testing
API Orchestration
API Orchestration refers to the process of integrating multiple APIs to coordinate their interactions and create a seamless workflow, enabling the development of complex applications and services from modular, reusable components.
You will find this term commonly used in Web Development, Integration
API Proxy
A server that acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers, allowing for API management features like security, rate limiting, and analytics without modifying the backend service.
You will find this term commonly used in Web Development, API Management
API Rate Limiting
The practice of limiting the number of API requests that can be made by a user, application, or IP address in a given time period, typically to prevent abuse and ensure fair usage of web services.
You will find this term commonly used in API Management, Web Development
API Sandbox
A virtual environment that mimics the characteristics of the production environment and is used for testing APIs in isolation from other systems, allowing developers to simulate responses, test integrations, and debug in a controlled setting.
You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Testing
API Security Testing
The process of evaluating the security of APIs by identifying vulnerabilities, ensuring that they can communicate securely, and protect against unauthorized access and data breaches.
You will find this term commonly used in Cybersecurity, Software Development
API Testing
API Testing involves directly testing APIs to verify they meet expectations for functionality, reliability, performance, and security, often as part of the software development lifecycle.
You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, QA
API Throttling
API Throttling is a technique used to control the amount of incoming requests to a server, protecting the API from being overwhelmed by too many requests and ensuring equitable distribution of server resources among all users.
You will find this term commonly used in Web Development, Networking
API Version Management
The practice of managing multiple versions of APIs to ensure backward compatibility, smooth transitions for consumers during updates, and the orderly deprecation of outdated interfaces.
You will find this term commonly used in API Management, Web Development
API Versioning
API Versioning involves managing changes to an API without disrupting existing clients by introducing versions, allowing developers to make improvements and add features while ensuring backward compatibility for users of the API.
You will find this term commonly used in Web Development, API Management
Applet
An applet is a small application designed to run within another application or webpage, often used to provide interactive features such as calculators or games.
You will find this term commonly used in Web Development
Application Binary Interface (ABI)
A low-level interface between two application programs or between an application and the operating system or hardware, defining how data structures or computational routines are accessed.
You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Systems Programming
Application Consolidation
The process of rationalizing and reducing the number of applications within an organization to streamline operations, reduce costs, and simplify IT infrastructure.
You will find this term commonly used in IT Management, Strategic Planning
Application Containerization
Application Containerization involves encapsulating or packaging software code along with its dependencies so that it can run uniformly and consistently on any infrastructure, promoting efficiency and scalability in deployment.
You will find this term commonly used in Cloud Computing, DevOps
Application Dependency Analysis
The process of identifying and understanding the dependencies and relationships between applications and components within an IT environment, crucial for change impact analysis, troubleshooting, and planning.
You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, IT Management
Application Dependency Mapping
The process of identifying and documenting the relationships and dependencies between applications, services, and underlying infrastructure within an IT environment, critical for change management and troubleshooting.
You will find this term commonly used in IT Management, Systems Administration
Application Developer
Designs and creates software apps for various operating systems or for specific usage requirements.
You will find this term commonly used in Software Development
Application Discovery and Understanding
A process that involves identifying and documenting the functionality, structure, and interdependencies of applications within an IT environment, often used for system modernization or migration projects.
You will find this term commonly used in IT Management, Software Engineering
Application Framework
A software library designed to support the development of web applications, web services, and web resources, providing a standard way to build and deploy applications.
You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Web Development
Application Gateway
An Application Gateway is a type of gateway that provides application-level traffic filtering and routing, enhancing security by isolating traffic between networks or segments and often including features like load balancing and content filtering.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Security
Application Insights
Application Insights is a feature of Azure Monitor, providing comprehensive application performance management (APM) and monitoring capabilities, including the tracking of application usage, performance, and errors.
You will find this term commonly used in Cloud Computing, DevOps
Application Layer
The Application Layer is the top layer of both the OSI and TCP/IP models, providing protocols that allow software to send and receive information and present meaningful data to users.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking
Application Layer Attack
A cyber attack targeting the application layer of the OSI model, aiming to exploit vulnerabilities in software applications, such as web servers and application protocols, to gain unauthorized access or disrupt services.
You will find this term commonly used in Cybersecurity, Network Security
Application Layer DDoS Attack
A type of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack targeting the top layer of the OSI model, aiming to exhaust the resources of a target application or server, often by overwhelming it with a flood of seemingly legitimate requests.
You will find this term commonly used in Security, Cybersecurity
Application Layer Encryption
Encryption that is applied directly to data by the application that generates or processes it, rather than relying on encryption at the transport layer or within the database.
You will find this term commonly used in Security, Data Protection
Application Layer Firewall
An Application Layer Firewall operates at the highest level of the OSI model to provide network security by monitoring and potentially blocking the data packets transmitted to and from an application to protect against attacks at the application level.
You will find this term commonly used in Security, Networking
Application Layer Firewall (ALF)
A firewall operating at the OSI application layer that inspects all incoming and outgoing traffic to an application or service, providing a high level of security by filtering traffic based on content rather than IP addresses or ports.
You will find this term commonly used in Cybersecurity, Network Security
Application Layer Protocol
An Application Layer Protocol defines the standards and methods used for communication between applications over a network, specifying how data is structured and transmitted so that services can interoperate effectively.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Software Development
Application Layer Protocol Negotiation (ALPN)
A TLS extension that allows the application layer to negotiate which protocol should be performed over a secure connection, facilitating the choice of HTTP/2, SPDY, or HTTP/1.1, for example.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Security
Application Layer Traffic Optimization
Techniques and technologies used to improve the performance and efficiency of data flow at the application layer of the OSI model, often involving content caching, load balancing, and data compression.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Performance Optimization
Application Lifecycle Management (ALM)
ALM encompasses the continuous process of managing the life of an application through governance, development, and maintenance, supporting continuous integration and deployment practices.
You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, IT Management
Application Performance Engineering
A discipline that aims to enhance software application performance through design, development, testing, and deployment practices, ensuring applications meet performance criteria and provide a good user experience.
You will find this term commonly used in Software Engineering, DevOps
Application Performance Index (Apdex)
A standard for measuring the performance of an application based on user satisfaction or response times, providing a simple, uniform approach to reporting and tracking performance over time.
You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Performance
Application Performance Management (APM)
APM is the monitoring and management of performance and availability of software applications, aiming to detect, diagnose complex application performance problems to maintain an expected level of service.
You will find this term commonly used in IT Management, Development
Application Performance Monitoring (APM)
APM refers to the practice of using tools and techniques to monitor, manage, and analyze the performance and availability of software applications, aiming to detect, diagnose, and resolve performance issues.
You will find this term commonly used in IT Management, DevOps
Application Performance Profiling
The analysis of a software application to identify the parts of the program responsible for its performance characteristics, especially areas that could be optimized for better efficiency or speed.
You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Performance Analysis
Application Portfolio Management
The practice of managing an organization's software applications and software-based services to ensure alignment with business strategies and objectives.
You will find this term commonly used in IT Management, Business Strategy
Application Portfolio Rationalization
The process of analyzing and optimizing the set of software applications used by an organization to ensure they provide maximum value, are cost-effective, and align with business objectives, often involving the consolidation or retirement of redundant or outdated applications.
You will find this term commonly used in IT Management, Strategic Planning
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