Computing Lexicon
When you encounter an unfamiliar term, start here. Each entry points to the lesson where the concept is explained in depth.
This lexicon gathers all terms and acronyms introduced across the 8 levels of Computing Fundamentals. It is distinct from the SSA Glossary — that one covers terms from the discipline of semantic architecture; this one covers the conceptual infrastructure of computing.
A
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Agent (AI Agent) | An LLM with the ability to use tools and execute actions in a loop (think → act → observe) | 7 |
| Algorithm | A step-by-step procedure for solving a problem | 1 |
| API (Application Programming Interface) | A contract that defines how two systems communicate | 4 |
| API Key | A simple authentication key for accessing services | 6 |
| Array (List) | An ordered collection of elements, accessed by index | 1 |
| Authentication | The process of proving who you are | 6 |
| Authorization | The process of determining what you are allowed to do | 6 |
B
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Backend | The server side — business logic, data, and security | 4 |
| Backup | A safety copy of data | 2 |
| Binary (System) | A base-2 numeral system using only 0 and 1 | 0 |
| Bit | The smallest unit of information: 0 or 1 | 0 |
| Boolean | A data type with two values: true or false | 1 |
| Browser | Software that interprets and renders web pages | 3 |
| Bug | An error in code that causes unexpected behavior | 1 |
| Byte | 8 bits — approximately one text character | 0 |
C
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Cache | Temporary storage for frequently accessed data | 6 |
| CDN (Content Delivery Network) | A distributed network of servers that delivers content globally | 5 |
| CI/CD | Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery — an automated pipeline for building, testing, and deploying | 5 |
| Class | A blueprint for creating objects with properties and behaviors | 1 |
| Cloud Computing | The use of remote servers over the internet instead of local infrastructure | 5 |
| Conditional (if/else) | A structure that executes different code depending on a condition | 1 |
| Container | An isolated package that includes an application and its dependencies, able to run anywhere | 5 |
| Context Window | The maximum number of tokens an LLM can process at once | 7 |
| Cookie | A small file that websites store in the user's browser | 3 |
| CPU (Central Processing Unit) | The central processor — the "brain" of the computer | 0 |
| CRUD | Create, Read, Update, Delete — the 4 fundamental data operations | 2 |
| CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) | A language that defines the visual appearance of web pages | 3 |
| CSV | A tabular data format with values separated by commas | 2 |
D
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Data Center | A physical facility that houses servers | 5 |
| Database | An organized system for storing, querying, and managing data | 2 |
| Debug | The process of finding and fixing bugs in code | 1 |
| Deploy | The process of putting code into a production environment | 5 |
| DNS (Domain Name System) | A system that converts domain names into IP addresses | 3 |
| Docker | A platform for creating and running containers | 5 |
| DOM (Document Object Model) | A tree representation of the HTML structure of a page | 3 |
E
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Embedding | A numerical representation (vector) of text that captures semantic meaning | 7 |
| Endpoint | A specific URL of an API that accepts requests | 4 |
| Eval (Evaluation) | The process of measuring the quality of an AI system | 7 |
F
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Feature Flag | A mechanism for toggling features on or off without deploying | 6 |
| Fine-tuning | Adapting a pre-trained model with domain-specific data | 7 |
| Firewall | A security barrier that controls network traffic | 5 |
| Frontend | The client side — the visual interface the user interacts with | 4 |
| Function | A reusable block of instructions that receives parameters and returns a result | 1 |
| Function Calling | The ability of an LLM to invoke external tools | 7 |
G
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| GraphQL | A query language for APIs where the client defines the data it wants | 4 |
| Guardrails | Safety constraints applied to AI systems | 7 |
H
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Hallucination | When an LLM generates plausible but false information | 7 |
| HTML (HyperText Markup Language) | A markup language that defines the structure of web pages | 3 |
| HTTP/HTTPS | The communication protocol of the web (HTTPS = with encryption) | 3 |
I
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) | Raw cloud infrastructure (servers, networking, storage) | 6 |
| Input/Output (I/O) | Data entering and leaving the system — how the machine communicates with the world | 0 |
| Internet | A global network of connected computers | 3 |
| IP Address | The numerical address of a machine on the network | 5 |
J
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| JavaScript | A programming language that adds interactivity to the web | 3 |
| JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) | A lightweight data-interchange format using key-value pairs | 2 |
| JWT (JSON Web Token) | A self-contained token for stateless authentication | 6 |
K
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Kubernetes (K8s) | A platform for orchestrating containers at scale | 5 |
L
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| LLM (Large Language Model) | A language model trained on large volumes of text to generate and understand natural language | 7 |
| Load Balancer | A component that distributes requests across multiple servers | 5 |
| Local Storage | Browser-side storage that persists across sessions | 3 |
| Log | A chronological record of system events | 5 |
| Loop (for/while) | A structure that repeats a block of code while a condition holds true | 1 |
M
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Machine Learning (ML) | A subfield of AI where systems learn patterns from data | 7 |
| Message Broker | A system that manages message queues between services | 6 |
| Microservice | An architecture where the application is divided into small, independent services | 6 |
| Migration (Data) | The process of altering the database structure over time | 2 |
| Monolith | An architecture where the entire application is a single unit | 6 |
| MVC (Model-View-Controller) | An architectural pattern: Model = data, View = interface, Controller = logic | 6 |
N
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| NoSQL | Non-relational databases (document, key-value, graph) | 2 |
O
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| OAuth 2.0 | A delegated authorization protocol ("Login with Google") | 6 |
| Object | A data structure consisting of key-value pairs | 1 |
| Open Source | Software with publicly available source code | 6 |
| Operators | Symbols that perform operations (arithmetic, comparison, logical) | 1 |
| ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) | A technique that maps code objects to database tables | 2 |
P
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| PaaS (Platform as a Service) | A managed platform for building and hosting applications | 6 |
| Payload | The data carried within a request or response | 4 |
| Process | A running instance of a program | 0 |
| Prompt | Text input provided to an LLM (system, user, assistant) | 7 |
Q
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Query | A request to a database to retrieve or manipulate data | 2 |
| Queue | An asynchronous processing structure — first in, first out | 6 |
R
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) | A pattern that retrieves relevant documents and injects them into the LLM's context | 7 |
| RAM (Random Access Memory) | Volatile, fast-access memory — the computer's "working desk" | 0 |
| Rate Limiting | A cap on the number of requests per time period imposed by an API | 4 |
| REST (REpresentational State Transfer) | An architectural style for APIs based on resources and HTTP verbs | 4 |
| Neural Network | A computational model inspired by the brain, composed of layers of transformations | 7 |
S
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| SaaS (Software as a Service) | Software accessed via a browser, on a subscription basis | 6 |
| Schema | A formal definition of the structure of data | 2 |
| SDK (Software Development Kit) | A set of pre-built tools for interacting with a service | 4 |
| SEO (Search Engine Optimization) | Practices for improving visibility in search engines | 3 |
| Server | A computer that serves requests from other computers | 5 |
| Serverless | A model where functions run on demand without managing servers | 5 |
| Operating System (OS) | Software that manages hardware and provides services to applications | 0 |
| SQL (Structured Query Language) | A language for querying and manipulating relational databases | 2 |
| SSL/TLS | An encryption protocol that protects data in transit | 5 |
| Status Code | A numeric HTTP code that indicates the result of a request | 4 |
| Storage | Permanent computer memory (HDD, SSD) | 0 |
| String | A data type that represents text | 1 |
T
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | A parameter that controls randomness in LLM text generation | 7 |
| Thread | A unit of execution within a process | 0 |
| Token | A unit of text processed by an LLM (subword, approximately 4 characters) | 7 |
| Top-p / Top-k | Sampling parameters that control the diversity of generation | 7 |
| Transformer | An attention-based neural network architecture, the foundation of LLMs | 7 |
U
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| URL (Uniform Resource Locator) | The full address of a resource on the web | 3 |
V
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Variable | A name that stores a value in program memory | 1 |
| API Versioning | The practice of maintaining different versions of an API (v1, v2) | 6 |
W
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Web | A system of interlinked documents accessed via a browser over the internet | 3 |
| Webhook | A reverse API call — the server notifies you when something happens | 4 |
| WebSocket | A persistent bidirectional connection for real-time communication | 4 |
X
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| XML (eXtensible Markup Language) | A markup-based data format, more verbose than JSON | 2 |
Y
| Term | Quick definition | Level |
|---|---|---|
| YAML | A human-readable configuration format | 2 |
Navigation
- Back to Computing Fundamentals Overview
- SSA Glossary — terms specific to the discipline of semantic architecture