Engineering Knowledge
Guides, frameworks, a technical glossary, and engineering insights — practical knowledge, not marketing content.
Popular Glossary Terms
API
An Application Programming Interface is a set of rules that allows software components to communicate with each other. APIs define how different software systems interact, what data can be requested, and what responses are returned.
Core ConceptsREST API
REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style for designing APIs that uses standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) to operate on resources identified by URLs. REST APIs are stateless, cacheable, and widely used for web services.
Core ConceptsGraphQL
GraphQL is a query language for APIs that allows clients to request exactly the data they need, nothing more and nothing less. Unlike REST, which returns fixed data structures, GraphQL enables flexible, nested queries in a single request.
BusinessSaaS
Software as a Service is a delivery model where software is hosted centrally and accessed via a web browser. SaaS applications are typically subscription-based, multi-tenant, and managed by the provider rather than installed on-premises.
BusinessMVP
A Minimum Viable Product is the simplest version of a product that can be released to validate a concept with real users. An MVP should be production-quality, not a prototype, but should include only the features necessary to test the core hypothesis.
ArchitectureMicroservices
An architectural style where an application is composed of small, independent services that communicate over a network. Each service is responsible for a specific business capability and can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently.
ArchitectureModular Monolith
A monolithic application that is internally organized into well-defined, independent modules. This approach combines the operational simplicity of a monolith with the code-level separation of concerns found in microservices.
OperationsCI/CD
Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery/Deployment. CI automatically integrates code changes from multiple contributors into a shared repository. CD automatically delivers or deploys those changes to production, enabling frequent and reliable releases.
OperationsDevOps
A set of practices that combines software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) to shorten the development lifecycle and improve delivery quality. DevOps emphasizes automation, monitoring, collaboration, and shared responsibility.