IT Glossary & Dictionary

A running instance of a program, with its own memory space, process ID, and system resources.

A virtual filesystem in Linux that provides an interface to kernel data structures, exposing process and system information as files.

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.

An open-source monitoring and alerting toolkit that collects time-series metrics using a pull-based model.

An intermediary server that forwards requests between clients and destination servers, providing caching, filtering, or anonymity.

A data validation library that uses Python type annotations to validate and serialize data with automatic error reporting.

A testing framework for Python that simplifies writing and running tests with powerful features like fixtures and parametrize.

The Abstract Base Classes module that enables defining interfaces and abstract methods that subclasses must implement.

A variable that maintains separate values for each execution context, enabling implicit state passing in async code without global variables.

A function defined with async def that can be paused and resumed, enabling concurrent execution without threads.

Objects that define __get__, __set__, or __delete__ methods, controlling how attribute access works on other objects.

The program that reads and executes Python code, translating it into machine instructions at runtime.

The interface requiring __iter__() and __next__() methods, enabling objects to be used in for loops and other iteration contexts.

Structured approaches to implementing logging in Python applications using the built-in logging module for debugging and monitoring.

A class whose instances are classes themselves — the class of a class that controls how classes are created and behaved.

A directory containing Python modules and an __init__.py file, providing a way to organize and distribute reusable code.

A modern dependency management and packaging tool for Python that simplifies project setup, versioning, and publishing.

Measuring where Python code spends time and memory to identify performance bottlenecks and optimization opportunities.

A built-in decorator that lets you define methods that behave like attributes, enabling controlled access to instance data.

A standard library module providing type hints for function signatures and variables, enabling static analysis without runtime enforcement.

A built distribution format (.whl) that allows faster installation of Python packages by avoiding the need for compilation.

A set of techniques for managing network traffic to prioritize certain types of data and ensure performance for critical applications.

The process of improving database query performance through indexing, query rewriting, and schema design techniques.

A data structure that follows First-In-First-Out (FIFO) ordering, where elements are added at the rear and removed from the front.

A bug that occurs when the behavior of software depends on the timing or order of uncontrolled events like thread scheduling.

Redundant Array of Independent Disks — a technology combining multiple physical drives into a single unit for performance, redundancy, or both.

A technique that controls the number of requests a client can make to a server within a specified time period.

An access control model where permissions are assigned to roles, and users are assigned to roles rather than getting permissions directly.

A programming technique where a function calls itself to solve a problem by breaking it into smaller subproblems.

An open-source, in-memory data store used as a database, cache, message broker, and queue with sub-millisecond response times.

Restructuring existing code without changing its external behavior to improve readability, maintainability, and performance.

A sequence of characters that defines a search pattern, used for string matching, validation, and text manipulation.

Geographic locations where cloud providers operate data centers, with zones providing redundancy within a region.

The process of copying and maintaining database data across multiple servers for redundancy, failover, and read scaling.

An elegant HTTP library for Python that simplifies making web requests with a human-friendly API.

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.

A server that sits between clients and backend servers, forwarding client requests and returning server responses on their behalf.

A deployment strategy that gradually replaces old application instances with new ones, maintaining availability throughout.

The superuser account in Unix/Linux systems with unrestricted access to all commands and files.

A database feature that restricts which rows a user can access in a table based on security policies.

A fast, versatile file synchronization tool that efficiently transfers and syncs files between local and remote systems.

A documented set of standardized procedures for handling routine operations and incident response in production systems.

An AWS object storage service that stores and retrieves any amount of data from anywhere on the web.

A cloud delivery model where software applications are hosted and managed by a provider and accessed by users over the internet.

Automated analysis of source code to find security vulnerabilities without executing the application.

The structure definition of a database including tables, columns, data types, relationships, indexes, and constraints.