Application development

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

Remote Method Invocation (RMI) - Remote Method Invocation (RMI) is an application programming interface (API) in the Java programming language and development environment.
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) - A Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is a software communication protocol that one program uses to request a service from another program located on a different computer and network, without having to understand the network's details.
requirements analysis (requirements engineering) - Requirements analysis (requirements engineering) is the process of determining user expectations for a new or modified product.
RESTful API - A RESTful API is an architectural style for an application programming interface that uses HTTP requests to access and use data.
Rich Internet Application (RIA) - A rich Internet application (RIA) is a Web application designed to deliver the same features and functions normally associated with deskop applications.
robotic process automation (RPA) - Robotic process automation (RPA) is a technology that mimics the way humans interact with software to perform high-volume, repeatable tasks.
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.
scripting language - A scripting language is a type of programming language in which the instructions are interpreted individually at runtime.
session ID - A session ID, also called a session token, is a unique identifier that a web server assigns to a user for the duration of the current session.
smoke testing - Smoke testing, also called build verification testing or confidence testing, is a software testing method that is used to determine if a new software build is ready for the next testing phase.
soak testing - Soak testing is a type of performance testing that gauges how an application handles a growing number of users or increasingly taxing tasks over an extended period of time.
SOAP fault - A SOAP fault is an error in a Simple Object Access Protocol communication resulting from an incorrect message format, header-processing problems, incompatibility between applications or other issues.
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 portability - Software portability is a characteristic attributed to a computer program if it can run with minimal rework on operating systems (OSes) other than the one for which it was created.
Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination (SPICE) - Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination (SPICE) is an international framework to assess software development processes.
software toolchain - A software toolchain is a set of software development tools used simultaneously to complete complex software development tasks or to deliver a software product.
Spring Framework (Spring) - The Spring Framework (Spring) is an open source software development framework that provides infrastructure support for building Java-based applications on any deployment platform.
staging environment - A staging environment (stage) is a nearly exact replica of a production environment for software testing.
state management - Application state management is the process of maintaining knowledge of an application's inputs across multiple related data flows that form a complete business transaction -- or a session -- to understand the condition of the app at any given moment.
stateless app - A stateless app is an application program that does not save client data generated in one session for use in the next session with that client.
static analysis (static code analysis) - Static analysis, also called static code analysis, is a method of computer program debugging that is done by examining the code without executing the program.
static IP address - A static IP address is a 32 bit number that is assigned to a computer to be its address on the internet.
static testing - Static testing is a software testing method that examines a program -- along with any associated documents -- but does not require the program to be executed.
super app - A super app is a mobile or web application that combines multiple services into one platform.
synchronous/asynchronous API - Synchronous/asynchronous APIs are application programming interfaces that return data for requests either immediately or at a later time, respectively.
synthetic monitoring - Synthetic monitoring is the use of software to simulate user interactions with a system.
system testing - System testing, also referred to as system-level testing or system integration testing, is the process in which a quality assurance (QA) team evaluates how the various components of an application interact together in the full, integrated system or application.
UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration) - UDDI, or Universal Description, Discovery and Integration, is an Extensible Language Markup (XML)-based standard to describe, publish and find information about web services.
Unified Modeling Language (UML) - Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a standard notation for modeling real-world objects as a first step in designing an object-oriented system.
Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) - A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is a character sequence that identifies a logical (abstract) or physical resource -- usually, but not always, connected to the internet.
unique device identifier (UDID) - A unique device identifier (UDID) is a 24-character string assigned to Apple devices.
user experience - User experience (UX) design is the process and practice used to design and implement a product that will provide positive and relevant interactions with users.
user interface (UI) - The user interface (UI) is the point of human-computer interaction and communication in a device.
Visual Basic (VB) - Visual Basic (VB) is an event-driven programming language and environment from Microsoft that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) which allows programmers to modify code by simply dragging and dropping objects and defining their behavior and appearance.
Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET or VB .NET) - Visual Basic .
Web bug (Web beacon) - A Web bug, also known as a Web beacon, is a file object (usually a graphic image such as a transparent GIF) that is placed on a Web page or in an e-mail message to monitor user behavior.
web crawler - A web crawler, crawler or web spider, is a computer program that's used to search and automatically index website content and other information over the internet.
web development framework (WDF) - A web development framework is a set of resources and tools for software developers to build and manage web applications, web services and websites, as well as to develop application programming interfaces (APIs).
weblog - A blog, short for weblog, is a frequently updated web page used for personal commentary or business content.
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 is a 3-tier application architecture? - A three-tier application architecture is a modular client-server architecture that consists of a presentation tier, an application tier and a data tier.
What is a kernel? - A kernel is the essential foundation of a computer's operating system (OS).
What is a PERT chart? And how to use it, with examples - A PERT chart, sometimes called a PERT diagram, is a project management tool used to schedule, organize and coordinate tasks in a project.
What is a software requirements specification (SRS)? - A software requirements specification (SRS) is a comprehensive description of the intended purpose and environment for software under development.
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 test case? - A test case is a set of actions performed on a system to determine if it satisfies software requirements and functions correctly.
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 acceptance testing? - Acceptance testing is a quality assurance (QA) process that determines to what degree an application meets end users' approval.
What is alpha testing? - Alpha testing is the initial phase of validating whether a new product will perform as expected.
What is 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.
What is an API (application programming interface)? - An application programming interface (API) is code that enables two software programs to communicate.
What is an 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.
What is an application? - An application, also referred to as an application program or application software, is a computer software package that performs a specific function directly for an end user or, in some cases, for another application.
What is Android System WebView and should you uninstall it? - Android System WebView is a system component for the Android operating system (OS) that enables Android apps to display web content directly inside an application.
What is Apache JMeter? - Apache JMeter is open source software for load testing applications and measuring their performance.
What is API testing? Everything you need to know - API testing is a type of software testing that analyzes an application programming interface (API) to verify that it fulfills its expected functionality, security, performance and reliability.
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 computer-aided software engineering (CASE)? - Computer-aided software engineering (CASE) describes a broad set of labor-saving tools and methods used in software development and business process modeling.
What is dependency injection in object-oriented programming (OOP)? - Dependency injection is a technique used in object-oriented programming (OOP) to reduce the hardcoded dependencies between objects.
What is dynamic application security testing (DAST)? - Dynamic application security testing (DAST) is the process of analyzing a web application in runtime to identify security vulnerabilities or weaknesses.
What is FTP? - File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a network protocol for transmitting files between computers over TCP/IP connections.
What is happy path testing? - Happy path testing is a type of software testing that uses known input and produces an expected output.
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 Mojo programming language and what is it used for? - Mojo is a high-performance programming language initially designed to unify and simplify the development of applications across all layers of the AI stack.
What is multi-tenancy (multi-tenant architecture)? - Multi-tenancy is an architecture in which a single instance of a software application serves multiple customers.
What is no-code? Everything you need to know - 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.
What is REpresentational State Transfer (REST) - REST (REpresentational State Transfer) is an architectural style for developing web services and systems that can easily communicate with each other.
What is shift-right testing? - Shift-right testing is a method of continuously testing software while it is in a post-production environment.
What is software resilience testing? - Software resilience testing is a method of software testing that focuses on ensuring that applications perform well in real-life or chaotic conditions.
What is static application security testing (SAST)? - Static application security testing (SAST) is the process of analyzing and testing application source code for security vulnerabilities.
What is value-sensitive design? - Value-sensitive design is a concept that advocates the consideration of human principles and standards when planning technology.
white paper - A white paper is an authoritative, research-based document that presents information, expert analysis and an organization or author's insight into a topic or solution to a problem.
widget - In computing, a widget is an element of a graphical user interface that displays information or provides a specific way for a user to interact with the operating system (OS) or an application.
XML (Extensible Markup Language) - XML (Extensible Markup Language) is used to describe data.
XML Schema Definition (XSD) - XML Schema Definition or XSD is a recommendation by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to describe and validate the structure and content of an XML document.
XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language) - XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language) is a family of standards that specifies how to define Extensible Markup Language (XML) document transformation and presentation.