Application development

Definitions about software applications and development including operating system vocabulary, programming terminology, words about Internet applications and terms used in app/dev.

.NET Framework - .NET Framework is a managed execution environment for Windows that allows software developers to create a software application in one programming language and be assured the app can work with code written in other languages.
12 factor app (twelve-factor app) - Twelve-factor app is a methodology for building distributed applications that run in the cloud and are delivered as a service.
Amazon Bedrock (AWS Bedrock) - Amazon Bedrock -- also known as AWS Bedrock -- is a machine learning platform used to build generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications on the Amazon Web Services cloud computing platform.
Android Studio - Android Studio is the official integrated development environment (IDE) for Android application development.
Android System WebView - Android System WebView is a system component for the Android operating system (OS) that allows Android apps to display web content directly inside an application.
anonymous FTP (File Transfer Protocol) - Anonymous File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a method for allowing users to access public files from a remote server or archive site without requiring them to identify themselves to the server or site.
API economy - The API economy refers to the set of business models and practices designed around the use of application programming interfaces (APIs) in today's digital economy.
API gateway (application programming interface gateway) - An API gateway is a software pattern that sits in front of an application programming interface (API) or group of microservices to facilitate requests and delivery of data and services.
API lifecycle management - API lifecycle management is a part of application programming interface management that supports the design, development and maintenance of APIs, including their transitioning from design and testing to a production environment.
API testing - API testing is a type of software testing that analyzes an application program interface (API) to verify that it fulfills its expected functionality, security, performance and reliability.
APK file (Android Package Kit file format) - An APK file (Android Package Kit file format) is the file format for applications used on the Android operating system (OS).
app - 'App' is an abbreviated form of the word 'application.
applet - An applet is a small computer program that performs a specific task.
application architecture - An application architecture is a structural map of how a software application is assembled and how applications interact with each other to meet business or user requirements.
application programming interface (API) - An application programming interface (API) is code that enables two software programs to communicate.
attribute - In general, an attribute is a property, quality, or characteristic that something or someone has.
augmented reality (AR) - Augmented reality (AR) is the integration of digital information with the user's environment in real time.
augmented reality gaming (AR gaming) - Augmented reality gaming (AR gaming) is the real-time integration of virtual game elements with the physical environment of the player.
automated testing - Automated testing is a software testing technique that automates the process of validating the functionality of software and ensures it meets requirements before being released into production.
beta test - In software development, a beta test is the second phase of software testing in which a sampling of the intended audience tries out the product.
business logic - In programming, business logic is the part of a software program responsible for implementing the business rules that define how data should be created, modified, transformed, communicated and in other ways managed and controlled.
CamelCase - CamelCase is a way to separate the words in a phrase by making the first letter of each word capitalized and not using spaces.
canary testing - In software testing, canary testing refers to testing a new software version or a new feature with real users in a live (production) environment.
Capability Maturity Model (CMM) - The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is a methodology used to develop and refine an organization's software development process.
Chaos Monkey - Chaos Monkey is a software tool Netflix engineers developed to test the resiliency and recoverability of their Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure.
citizen development - Citizen development is a business process that encourages non-IT-trained employees to become software developers, using IT-sanctioned low-code/no-code (LCNC) platforms to create business applications.
client-side framework - A client-side framework is a software development framework that focuses on executing application processes on end user devices rather than the application's own server.
colocation (colo) - A colocation facility (colo) is a data center or telecommunications facility in which a business can rent space for servers, storage devices, and other computing and networking hardware.
com - On the Internet, "com" is one of the top-level domain names that can be used when choosing a domain name.
complex event processing (CEP) - Complex event processing (CEP) is the use of technology to predict high-level events.
cross-browser testing - Cross-browser testing, also called browser testing, is a quality assurance (QA) process that checks whether a web-based application, site or page functions as intended for end users across multiple browsers and devices.
cross-platform mobile development - Cross-platform mobile development is an approach to developing software applications that are compatible with multiple mobile operating systems (OSes) or platforms.
daemon - In computing, a daemon (pronounced DEE-muhn) is a program that runs continuously as a background process and wakes up to handle periodic service requests, which often come from remote processes.
data binding - Data binding is the process that couples two data sources together and synchronizes them.
decompile - To decompile means to convert executable or ready-to-run program code -- sometimes called object code -- into some form of higher-level programming language that humans can easily understand.
dependency injection - In object-oriented programming (OOP) software design, dependency injection is the process of supplying a resource that a given piece of code requires.
digital innovation - Digital innovation is the adoption of modern digital technologies by a business.
digital video - Digital video is audio/visual content in a binary format, with information presented as a sequence of digital data rather than in a continuous signal as analog information is.
Dublin Core - Dublin Core is an international metadata standard formally known as the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set and includes 15 metadata (data that describes data) terms.
e-ticket (electronic ticket) - An e-ticket (electronic ticket) is a paperless electronic document used for ticketing purposes, such as airfare or concert admission.
end-to-end testing - End-to-end (E2E) testing is a software testing methodology that verifies the working order of a software product in a start-to-finish process.
event-driven application - An event-driven application is a computer program written to respond to actions generated by a user or system.
exception handling - Exception handling is the process of responding to unwanted or unexpected events when a computer program runs.
fail fast - Fail fast is a philosophy that values extensive testing and incremental development to determine whether an idea has value.
feature-driven development (FDD) - Feature-driven development (FDD) is an Agile software development framework that organizes work around product features.
flaky test - A ﬂaky test is a quality assurance (QA) test that fails to produces consistent results.
fully qualified domain name (FQDN) - A fully qualified domain name (FQDN) is the complete address of an internet host or computer.
fuzz testing (fuzzing) - Fuzz testing (fuzzing) is a quality assurance technique used to discover coding errors or bugs and security loopholes in software, operating systems and networks.
garbage collection (GC) - Garbage collection (GC) is a memory recovery feature built into programming languages such as C# and Java.
garbage in, garbage out (GIGO) - Garbage in, garbage out, or GIGO, refers to the idea that in any system, the quality of output is determined by the quality of the input.
Git - Git is an open source distributed version control system that is available for free under the GNU General Public License version 2.
GitOps - GitOps is an operational framework that applies DevOps practices, such as continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) and version control, to infrastructure automation.
Google Mobile Services (GMS) - Google Mobile Services (GMS) is a collection of applications and application programming interfaces (APIs) developed by Google for manufacturers of Android devices, such as smartphones and tablets.
green software - Green software, also known as sustainable software, is software that is designed, developed and implemented to limit energy consumption and have minimal environmental impact.
hamburger icon (slide drawer navigation) - A hamburger icon is a navigational symbol in user interface (UI) design.
hosting (website hosting, web hosting and webhosting) - Web hosting -- also known as website hosting or webhosting -- is the process where a web hosting provider stores and maintains website files and applications on a server to make its customers' websites accessible on the internet.
hotfix - A hotfix is code -- sometimes called a patch -- that fixes a bug in a product.
HTML5 mobile app - An HTML5 mobile app is a web application developed with version 5 of HTML, a web content standard designed for handheld devices like smartphones and tablets.
ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) - ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is the private, non-government, nonprofit corporation with responsibility for IP address space allocation, protocol parameter assignment, domain name system management and root server system management functions.
image - An image is a visual representation of something, while a digital image is a binary representation of visual data.
image compression - Image compression is a process applied to a graphics file to minimize its size in bytes without degrading image quality below an acceptable threshold.
inline frame (iframe) - An inline frame (iframe) is a HTML element that loads another HTML page within the document.
instant app (Google Android instant app) - A Google Android instant app is a small software program that enables users to test out a portion of a native Android app without installing it on a device.
instantiation - In programming, instantiation is the creation of a real instance or particular realization of an abstraction or template, such as a class of objects or a computer process.
intellectual property (IP) - Intellectual property (IP) is a term for any intangible asset that is the product of someone's mind.
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) - The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is the body that defines standard operating internet protocols such as TCP/IP.
iOS software development kit (iOS SDK) - The iOS software development kit (iOS SDK) is a collection of tools for the creation of apps for Apple's mobile operating system (OS).
IT monitoring - IT monitoring is a process that gathers metrics on the operations of an IT environment.
IT project management - IT project management is the process of planning, organizing and delineating responsibility for the completion of an organizations' specific information technology (IT) goals.
Java - Java is a widely used programming language expressly designed for coding applications and services used in the distributed environment of the internet.
Java compiler - A Java compiler is a program that takes the text file work of a developer and compiles it into a platform-independent Java file.
Java Mission Control - Java Mission Control is a performance-analysis tool that renders sampled JVM metrics in easy-to-understand graphs, tables, histograms, lists and charts.
Java string - A Java string is a sequence of characters that exists as an object of the class java.
joint application development (JAD) - Joint application development, frequently shortened to JAD, is a methodology that involves the client or end user in the design and development of a software application through a succession of collaborative workshops called JAD sessions.
LDAP injection - LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) injection is a type of security exploit that is used to compromise the authentication process used by some websites.
Lisp (programming language) - Lisp, an acronym for list processing, is a functional programming language that was designed for easy manipulation of data strings.
loose coupling - Loose coupling is an approach to interconnecting the components in a system, network or software application so that those components, also called elements, depend on each other to the least extent practicable.
low-code and no-code development platforms - Low-code/no-code development platforms are software development tools and environments that allow enterprise developers and citizen developers to create new applications using drag-and-drop components, linking them together and creating mobile or web apps.
lowerCamelCase - A part of CamelCase, lowerCamelCase is a naming convention in which a name contains multiple words that are joined together as a single word.
mail server (mail transfer/transport agent, MTA, mail router, internet mailer) - A mail server -- also known as a mail transfer agent, or MTA; mail transport agent; mail router; or internet mailer -- is an application that receives incoming email from local users and remote senders and forwards outgoing messages for delivery.
message passing interface (MPI) - The message passing interface (MPI) is a standardized means of exchanging messages between multiple computers running a parallel program across distributed memory.
Microsoft Power Apps - Power Apps is a suite of Microsoft products that enable both developers and nontechnical users to build custom applications to fulfill various business needs.
middleware - Middleware is software that bridges the gap between applications and operating systems by providing a method for communication and data management.
mobile application development platform (MADP) - A mobile application development platform (MADP) is a type of software that allows a business to rapidly build, test and deploy mobile apps for smartphones or tablets.
mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) - A mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) is a reseller of wireless communications services.
model-based systems engineering (MBSE) - Model-based systems engineering (MBSE) uses models to share information across collaborators in the design, development, test and operation of complex systems.
model-view-controller (MVC) - In programming, model-view-controller (MVC) is an architectural design pattern that organizes an application's logic into distinct layers, each of which carries out a specific set of tasks.
multi-tenancy - Multi-tenancy is an architecture in which a single instance of a software application serves multiple customers.
mutation testing - Mutation testing, also known as code mutation testing, is a form of white box testing in which testers change specific components of an application's source code to ensure a software test suite can detect the changes.
native code - Native code is binary data compiled to run on a processor, such as an Intel x86-class processor.
natural user interface (NUI) - A natural user interface -- or NUI -- is an interface that is designed to feel as natural as possible.
no-code - No-code is a software development approach that requires few, if any, programming skills to quickly build an application, website or module that links into an existing system.
performance testing - Performance testing is a testing measure that evaluates the speed, responsiveness and stability of a computer, network, software program or device under a workload.
pipe - In computer programming, especially in Unix operating systems (OSes), a pipe is a technique for passing information from one program process or command to another.
pipeline as code - Pipeline as code is an approach to a continuous integration (CI) pipeline where the pipeline is expressed entirely in computer code.
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) - PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is a file format used for lossless image compression.
Power Platform - Power Platform is an intuitive and collaborative platform from Microsoft.
product development (new product development -- NPD) - Product development, also called new product management, is a series of steps that includes the conceptualization, design, development and marketing of newly created or newly rebranded goods or services.
project scope - Project scope is the part of project planning that involves determining and documenting a list of specific project goals, deliverables, tasks, costs and deadlines.
proof of concept (POC) - A proof of concept (POC) is a demonstration of a product in which work is focused on determining whether an idea can be turned into a reality.