We’ve all been there: You’re talking with your website developer, everything is going smoothly, and then they bust out a term like “301 redirect” or “CSS.” Record. Scratch. After a split-second Scooby Face, you smile and nod. The conversation ends and you think, What the heck did they just say?! Chances are if you Google it, you get a lot of tech-speak that may as well be the teacher’s voice from Charlie Brown. Fear not: We’ve put together some of the most commonly-used words, acronyms, and phrases that come up in working with a developer along with our definitions for them. Human definitions. Here is the Whole Whale developer glossary terms to know when working on a website project.
Browse the A-Z & choose one of Alphabets below.
Error message when what was requested cannot be found; often because the link that was requested is either broken or dead.
What is 404 ?“Application Program Interface.” How computers and applications communicate with one another.
What is API ?Also known as an app, these are programs designed to perform functions. This includes mobile apps.
Information about elements of a component in your website design/build..
What is Attribute ? What is Attribute ?the part of a computer system or application that is not directly accessed by the user, typically responsible for storing and manipulating data.
Bootstrap is a framework to help you design websites faster and easier.
Bootstrap CourseThe program you use to access the Web — such as Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.
An error or flaw in the website or app that keeps it from running as expected.
The storage of certain elements to help with faster load times from repeat website visitors.
What is Cache ?In CSS, an identifier for specifying exactly what you what to target with styling.
“Content Management System.” The program that you use to create and maintain your website’s content.
What is CMS ?CSS Stands for "Cascading Style Sheet." Cascading style sheets are used to format the layout of Web pages.
CSS Course CSS3 Course“Development Operations.” System of working that helps to keep development, IT operations, and quality assurance departments on the same page to make for better end-products and collaborations.
The address for a website as entered into the browser
What is Domain ?ECMAScript (European Computer Manufacturers Association Script) is a scripting language based on JavaScript.
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is business process management software that allows an organization to use a system of integrated applications to manage the business.
What is ERP System ?A favicon (pronounced "fave-icon") is a small, iconic image that represents your website.
Favicon ?A firewall is a system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network.
A framework is a collection of program that you can use to develop your own application
Framework ?File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a client/server protocol used for transferring files to or exchanging files with a host computer.
What is FTP ?Stands for "Graphical User Interface" and is pronounced "gooey." It is a user interface that includes graphical elements, such as windows, icons and buttons.
Git is a distributed version-control system for tracking changes in source code during software development. It is designed for coordinating work among programmers.
Github CourseHyper Text Markup Language (HTML) is a markup language for creating a webpage. Webpages are usually viewed in a web browser.
HTML Course HTML5 Course"Hypertext Transfer Protocol." HTTP is the protocol used to transfer data over the web. It is part of the Internet protocol suite and defines commands and services used for transmitting webpage data.
An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a software environment used to write other programs using tools like an editor and compiler.
An IP address, or simply an "IP," is a unique address that identifies a device on the Internet or a local network.
What is ip ?JavaScript is a text-based programming language used both on the client-side and server-side that allows you to make web pages interactive
Javascript CourseJavaScript Object Notation (JSON) is a standard text-based format for representing structured data based on JavaScript object syntax. It is commonly used for transmitting data in web applications
JSON CoursejQuery is a lightweight, "write less, do more", JavaScript library. The purpose of jQuery is to make it much easier to use JavaScript on your website.
jQuery CourseTypically, the kernel is responsible for memory management, process and task management, and disk management. The kernel connects the system hardware to the application software. Every operating system has a kernel
Kali Linux is a Debian-derived Linux distribution designed for digital forensics and penetration testing. It is maintained and funded by Offensive Security.
A loop is used for executing a block of statements repeatedly until a particular condition is satisfied.
What is Loop ?Meta tags provide information about the webpage in the HTML of the document. This information is called "metadata"
Meta TagMedia type (also known as a Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions or MIME type) is a standard that indicates the nature and format of a document.
A network consists of two or more computers that are linked in order to share resources.
npm is a package manager for the JavaScript programming language. It is the default package manager for the JavaScript runtime environment Node.js
npm ?Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a computer programming model that organizes software design around data, or objects, rather than functions and logic.
An opening tag is a general term for the beginning of an html element, and An closing tag is a general term for the closing of an html element.
Selectors, Properties, and Values. Whereas HTML has tags, CSS has selectors. ... For each selector there are “properties” inside curly brackets, which simply take the form of words such as color , font-weight or background-color . A value is given to the property following a colon (NOT an “equals” sign).
A query is a request for data or information from a database table or combination of tables. This data may be generated as results returned by Structured Query Language (SQL)
SQL CourseResponsive web design is an approach to web design that makes web pages render well on a variety of devices and window or screen sizes.
What is Responsive Design ?A server is a type of computer or device on a network that manages network resources
Server ?The Terminal app allows you to control your Mac using a command prompt. ... Terminal is a Mac command line interface.
Terminal GuideThe user interface (UI) is the point of human-computer interaction and communication in a device. This can include display screens, keyboards, a mouse and the appearance of a desktop. It is also the way through which a user interacts with an application or a website.
User experience is a person's emotions and attitudes about using a particular product, system or service. It includes the practical, experiential, affective, meaningful and valuable aspects of human–computer interaction and product ownership.
In programming, a variable is a value that can change, depending on conditions or on information passed to the program.
Variable ?A virtual private network extends a private network across a public network and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network.
What is VPN ?A website wireframe, also known as a page schematic or screen blueprint, is a visual guide that represents the skeletal framework of a website.
Wireframe Coursewebpack is a module bundler. Its main purpose is to bundle JavaScript files for usage in a browser,
WebPack CourseExtensible Markup Language is a markup language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable.
What is XML ?Yarn is a new JavaScript package manager that aims to be speedy, deterministic, and secure.
What is Yarn ?The z-index property specifies the stack order of an element. An element with greater stack order is always in front of an element with a lower stack order.
Z-indexA zettabyte is a measure of storage capacity and is 2 to the 70th power bytes, also expressed as 1021 (1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes) or 1 sextillion bytes. One Zettabyte is approximately equal to a thousand Exabytes, a billion Terabytes, or atrillion Gigabytes.