DevOps

This glossary contains definitions related to the DevOps movement. Some definitions explain the meaning of words used to describe how a DevOps culture breaks down silos between software development and operations teams. Other definitions are related to the software tools that DevOps engineers use to lower costs, achieve higher productivity and automate tasks.

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.
platform engineering - Platform engineering is a specialized discipline within software development that focuses on designing, building, maintaining and improving the toolchains and workflows software developers use.
poka-yoke - A poka-yoke is a mechanism that is put in place to prevent human error.
POSIX (Portable Operating System Interface) - POSIX (Portable Operating System Interface) is a set of standard operating system interfaces based on the Unix operating system.
product-qualified lead (PQL) - A product-qualified lead (PQL) is an individual or business that experienced value from using a product as a result of a free trial, use of a limited feature model or other types of first-hand experience with a product.
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.
prototype - A prototype is an early version of a product from which future versions are developed.
provisioning - In the context of IT and computing, provisioning refers to the process of setting up IT infrastructure and providing access to authorized users to the various resources that are part of the infrastructure.
Red Hat - Red Hat is a software company that combines open source Linux operating system components with related programs into a distribution package that customers can order.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) - Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is an enterprise Linux operating system (OS) developed by Red Hat for the business market.
Red Hat OpenShift - Red Hat OpenShift is a multifaceted, open source container application development platform from Red Hat Inc.
Ruby - Ruby is an open source, interpreted, object-oriented programming language created by Yukihiro Matsumoto, who chose the gemstone's name to suggest "a jewel of a language.
Ruby on Rails (RoR or Rails) - Ruby on Rails is an open-source framework for database-backed web development in Ruby, an object-oriented programming language similar to Perl and Python.
sales development representative (SDR) - A sales development representative (SDR) is an individual who focuses on prospecting, moving and qualifying leads through the sales pipeline and then delivers those leads to individuals who are responsible for closing sales.
Scrum - Scrum is a framework for project management that emphasizes teamwork, accountability and iterative progress toward a well-defined goal.
Security Accounts Manager - The Security Accounts Manager (SAM) is a database file in the Microsoft Windows operating system that contains usernames and passwords.
semaphore - In programming, especially in Unix systems, semaphores are a technique for coordinating or synchronizing activities in which multiple processes compete for the same operating system resources.
service-level agreement (SLA) - A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its customers that documents what services the provider will furnish and defines the service standards the provider is obligated to meet.
seven wastes - The seven wastes are categories of unproductive manufacturing practices identified by Taiichi Ohno, the father of the Toyota Production System (TPS).
Slack software - Slack software is a cloud-based messaging application that enables the personnel in an organization to connect and collaborate.
Snort - Snort is an open source network intrusion detection system (NIDS) created by Sourcefire founder and former CTO Martin Roesch.
software engineering - Software engineering is the process of developing, testing and deploying computer applications to solve real-world problems by adhering to a set of engineering principles and best practices.
software package - A software package is a group of programs bundled together into a product suite.
source code - Source code is the fundamental component of a computer program that is created by a programmer, often written in the form of functions, descriptions, definitions, calls, methods and other operational statements.
SUSE - SUSE (pronounced soo-sah) is a multinational company that offers enterprise-grade open source products based on Linux technologies.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) - SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) is a Linux-based server operating system created and maintained by the German-based organization, SUSE.
talent acquisition - Talent acquisition is the strategic process an organization uses to identify, recruit and hire the people it needs to achieve its business goals and optimize its processes.
test-driven development (TDD) - Test-driven development (TDD), also called test-driven design, is a software programming method that interlaces unit testing, programming and refactoring on source code.
The Three Ways (The Phoenix Project) - The Three Ways is a set of business principles that encourage organizations to value a corporate culture in which feedback loops are short, everyone understands how different parts of the business interrelate and employees are encouraged to continuously learn.
time-to-live (TTL) - Time-to-live (TTL) is a value for the period of time that a packet, or data, should exist on a computer or network before being discarded.
TOSCA (Topology and Orchestration Specification for Cloud Applications) - The Topology and Orchestration Specification for Cloud Applications (TOSCA) is an open source language used to describe the relationships and dependencies between services and applications that reside on a cloud computing platform.
Ubuntu - Ubuntu (pronounced oo-BOON-too) is a free, open source operating system (OS) based on Debian Linux.
unit testing - Unit testing is a software development process in which the smallest testable parts of an application, called units, are individually scrutinized for proper operation.
Unix - Unix -- trademarked as UNIX -- is a multiuser, multitasking operating system (OS) designed for flexibility and adaptability.
value stream mapping - Value stream mapping is a lean manufacturing tool that visualizes every repeatable step required to deliver a product or service to the customer.
version control - Version control (also known as revision control or source control) is a category of processes and tools designed to keep track of multiple different versions of software, content, documents, websites and other information in development.
WebLogic - Oracle WebLogic Server is a leading e-commerce online transaction processing (OLTP) platform, developed to connect users in distributed computing production environments and to facilitate the integration of mainframe applications with distributed corporate data and applications.
webOS - WebOS is an LG-owned, Linux-based operating system for smart devices, particularly smart TVs.
What are microservices? Everything you need to know - Microservices, or microservices architecture, is an approach to the design and implementation of enterprise applications in which a large application is built from modular components or services.
What are ModelOps (model operations) analytics models? - ModelOps (model operations) is a holistic approach to building analytics models that can quickly progress from the lab to production.
What is a cloud IDE? - A cloud IDE is a web-based integrated development platform.
What is a copyright? - Copyright is a legal term describing ownership or control of the rights to use and distribute certain works of creative expression, including books, video, motion pictures, musical compositions and computer programs.
What is a lean water spider? - Lean water spider, or water spider, is a term used in manufacturing that refers to a position in a production environment or warehouse.
What is a product owner? - A product owner is a role on a Scrum team that is responsible for the project's outcome.
What is a service mesh? - A service mesh is a dedicated infrastructure layer that controls service-to-service communication within a distributed application.
What is a software stack? - A software stack is a collection of independent components that work together to support the execution of an application.
What is a sprint (software development)? - In Agile product development and software project management, a sprint is a set period of time during which specific work has to be completed and made ready for review.
What is a Waterfall model? Definition and guide - The Waterfall model is a linear, sequential approach to the software development lifecycle (SDLC) that is popular in software engineering and product development.
What is a word in computing architecture? - In computing architecture, a word is a fixed unit of data containing a specific number of bits that can be addressed and moved between storage and the computer processor.
What is acceptance testing? - Acceptance testing is a quality assurance (QA) process that determines to what degree an application meets end users' approval.
What is Agile software development? - Agile is a type of software development methodology that anticipates the need for flexibility and applies a level of pragmatism to the delivery of the finished product.
What is Apache Spark? - Apache Spark is an open source parallel processing framework for running large-scale data analytics applications across clustered computers.
What is application lifecycle management? - Application lifecycle management (ALM) is the process of managing a software lifecycle from creation to its end of life.
What is application release automation (ARA)? - Application release automation (ARA) is a process that automatically packages and deploys an application, or application updates, through the stages of development to production.
What is AutoRABIT? - AutoRABIT is an end-to-end release management suite specifically aimed at streamlining the development and release of Salesforce.
What is AWS? Ultimate guide to Amazon Web Services - AWS (Amazon Web Services) is a comprehensive, evolving cloud computing platform provided by Amazon.
What is behavior-driven development (BDD)? - Behavior-driven development (BDD) is an Agile software development methodology in which an application is documented and designed around the behavior a user expects to experience when interacting with it.
What is black box testing? - Black box testing assesses a system solely from the outside, without the operator or tester knowing what's happening within the system to generate responses to test actions.
What is blue/green deployment? - Blue/green deployment is a change management strategy for releasing software code.
What is change failure rate (CFR)? - Change failure rate is a software development performance metric that measures the percentage of software deliveries that required remediation after release to production.
What is cloud orchestration (cloud orchestrator)? - Cloud orchestration (cloud orchestrator) is the use of programming technology to manage the interconnections and interactions among workloads on public and private cloud infrastructure.
What is cloud testing? An introduction to testing in the cloud - Cloud testing is the process of using the cloud computing resources of a third-party service provider to test software applications.
What is container management and why is it important? - Container management refers to a set of practices that govern and maintain containerization software.
What is continuous deployment (CD)? - Continuous deployment (CD) is a strategy for software development and releases in which every code change is automatically run through a pipeline of tests and inspections before being pushed into production.
What is continuous integration (CI)? - Continuous integration (CI) is a software development practice in which frequent and incremental changes are routinely added (integrated) to the complete codebase immediately after the changes and additions are tested and validated.
What is DevOps? Meaning, methodology and guide - The word 'DevOps' is a combination of the terms 'development' and 'operations,' meant to represent a collaborative or shared approach to the tasks performed by a company's application development and IT operations teams.
What is distributed tracing? - Distributed tracing is a method used to track the journey of requests as they flow through a distributed system or microservices architecture.
What is Google Cloud? - Google Cloud is a suite of public cloud computing services offered by Google.
What is high availability (HA)? Definition and guide - High availability (HA) is the ability of a system to operate continuously for a designated period of time even if components within the system fail.
What is infrastructure as a service (IaaS)? - Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is a form of cloud computing that provides virtualized computing resources over the internet.
What is infrastructure as code (IaC)? - Infrastructure as code (IaC) is an IT practice that codifies and manages underlying IT infrastructure as software.
What is IT automation? A complete guide for IT teams - IT automation is the use of instructions to create a clear, consistent and repeatable process that replaces an IT professional's manual work in data centers and cloud deployments.
What is Jenkins and how does it work? - Jenkins is an open source continuous integration/continuous delivery and deployment (CI/CD) automation software DevOps tool written in the Java programming language.
What is Jenkins X? - Jenkins X is an open source system that provides continuous integration (CI), continuous delivery (CD) and automated testing tools designed for cloud-native applications in a Kubernetes environment.
What is LXD (Linux container hypervisor)? - LXD, pronounced 'lex-dee,' is a unified platform for managing system containers and virtual machines (VMs).
What is Microsoft Azure and how does it work? - Microsoft Azure, formerly known as Windows Azure, is Microsoft's public cloud computing platform.
What is open source and how does it work? - The term 'open source' refers to any program whose source code is made available for use or modification as users or other developers see fit.
What is PaaS? Platform as a service definition and guide - Platform as a service (PaaS) is a cloud computing model where a third-party provider delivers hardware and software tools to users over the internet.
What is quality assurance (QA)? - Quality assurance (QA) is any systematic process of determining whether a product or service meets specified requirements.
What is React Native? - React Native is an open source JavaScript framework for mobile application development.
What is regression testing? - Regression testing is a type of software test that assesses if changes to an application, or other related software components, introduce defects.
What is RPM Package Manager? - RPM Package Manager (RPM), originally called the Red Hat Package Manager, is an open source program for installing, uninstalling and managing software packages in Linux.
What is the Agile test automation pyramid? - The Agile test automation pyramid is a graphical strategy guide for implementing automated software testing.
What is user acceptance testing (UAT)? - User acceptance testing (UAT), also called application testing or end-user testing, is a phase of software development in which the software is tested in the real world by its intended audience.
What is white box testing? - White box testing is a software testing methodology in which the code structure is known and understood by the tester.
What is workflow orchestration? - Workflow orchestration is the process of coordinating and automating tasks across different systems to ensure they run within a defined workflow.
whole-team approach (team-based approach) - The whole-team approach (team-based approach) is a style of project management in which everyone on the project team is held equally responsible for the quality and success of the project.
wiki - A wiki is a web-based collaborative platform that enables users to store, create and modify content in an organized manner.
workflow - Workflow is the series of activities that are necessary to complete a task.
YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language) - YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language) is a data serialization language used as the input format for diverse software applications.
Zabbix - Zabbix is an open source monitoring software tool for diverse IT components, including networks, servers, virtual machines (VMs) and cloud services.
ZeroOps - ZeroOps is when developers spend zero time working with infrastructure and operations, instead spending all their time and creative energy on software product development.