IT Glossary & Dictionary

A technique for making asynchronous HTTP requests from a web page without reloading the entire page.

A set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate and exchange data.

A strategy for limiting the number of API requests a client can make within a specified time window to protect server resources.

A modern compression algorithm developed by Google that achieves better compression ratios than Gzip for web content delivery.

Storing copies of frequently accessed data in faster storage to reduce load times and server processing.

An HTML element that tells search engines which URL is the preferred version of a page when duplicate or similar content exists at multiple URLs.

A distributed network of servers that delivers web content to users from the geographically closest location.

An HTTP mechanism where client and server agree on the best representation of a resource based on format, language, or encoding preferences.

A small piece of data stored in the browser by a website to remember user preferences, login state, or tracking information.

HTTP headers that control cross-origin resource sharing between different domains, specifying allowed origins, methods, and headers.

An automatic OPTIONS request sent by browsers before certain cross-origin requests to check if the actual request is permitted.

An HTTP mechanism that allows web pages to request resources from a different domain than the one serving the page.

A CSS layout model that provides efficient arrangement of items within a container, handling alignment, distribution, and spacing.

A two-dimensional CSS layout system for creating complex grid-based designs with rows and columns.

A programming interface for HTML documents that represents the page structure as a tree of objects that can be manipulated with JavaScript.

A query language for APIs that lets clients request exactly the data they need, reducing over-fetching and under-fetching.

A high-performance RPC framework using Protocol Buffers and HTTP/2 for efficient service-to-service communication.

Hypermedia As The Engine Of Application State — a REST constraint where API responses include links to related actions and resources.

The second major version of HTTP that improves performance through multiplexing, header compression, and server push.

The latest HTTP version that uses QUIC instead of TCP, providing faster connections and better performance on unreliable networks.

Standardized three-digit codes returned by web servers to indicate the result of a client's HTTP request.

A property where performing an operation multiple times produces the same result as performing it once.

JavaScript Object Notation — a lightweight data interchange format that is easy for humans to read and machines to parse.

A vocabulary for validating the structure and content of JSON data, ensuring API requests and responses conform to expected formats.

A technique that delays loading non-critical resources until they are needed, improving initial page load performance.

HTML elements in the page head that provide metadata about the document for browsers, search engines, and social media platforms.

Software that sits between the request and response in a web application, performing processing like authentication or logging.

An architectural pattern that separates an application into three components: data (Model), interface (View), and logic (Controller).

A mechanism in OAuth that limits an application's access to a user's account to specific resources or actions.

A widely-used server-side scripting language designed for web development that powers over 75% of websites including WordPress.

A web design strategy that starts with basic functionality for all browsers and progressively adds advanced features for capable ones.

A web application that uses modern web capabilities to deliver app-like experiences with offline support and push notifications.

A web design approach that makes web pages render well on all screen sizes using flexible layouts and media queries.

An architectural style for designing networked applications using standard HTTP methods and stateless communication.

The practice of optimizing websites to rank higher in search engine results, increasing organic traffic.

A server push technology that enables a server to send real-time updates to a browser over a single HTTP connection.

A web technology enabling servers to push real-time updates to browsers over a single HTTP connection, simpler than WebSockets.

A JavaScript file that runs in the background, enabling offline support, push notifications, and background sync for web apps.

An XML file that lists all important URLs on a website, helping search engines discover and crawl content efficiently.

A web application that loads a single HTML page and dynamically updates content without full page reloads.

A technique where web pages are rendered on the server and sent as complete HTML to the browser, improving SEO and initial load time.

A tool that generates a complete static HTML website from templates and content at build time, requiring no server-side processing.

A standardized vocabulary for marking up web content so search engines can understand and display it as rich results.

A typed superset of JavaScript that adds static type checking, interfaces, and advanced IDE support to JavaScript development.

The practice of designing websites that can be used by people with disabilities, following WCAG guidelines.

A binary instruction format that enables near-native performance execution of code in web browsers alongside JavaScript.

Techniques for storing copies of web resources at various levels to reduce server load, bandwidth, and response times.

A set of browser-native APIs for creating reusable, encapsulated custom HTML elements with their own styling and behavior.