Glossary

A collection of the technical terms used in our articles.

API

An API (Application Programming Interface) is an interface through which programs talk to each other. Picture a pass-through window in a restaurant kitchen. The waiter sends in the order, the kitchen sends out the plate. The waiter does not need to know how the food is cooked. A REST API is the most widely used form on the web. Requests run over ordinary internet addresses, the same way a browser opens a page.

CI pipeline

CI stands for Continuous Integration. A CI pipeline is an automatic testing and build line for software. As soon as someone submits a change, the code is tested and built automatically. If everything passes, it is made ready for deployment. It works like a factory line: every part goes through the same stations instead of someone checking by hand.

Container image

A container is a sealed environment in which a program runs with everything it needs. The server underneath does not matter. The image is the template for this, comparable to a baking tin. The same image produces any number of identical containers. Pinned means a precisely fixed version of the image is used, not simply "the latest". You always know exactly what is running.

Design system

A design system is the binding toolkit for the look of a website or app. It defines colours, fonts, spacing, buttons and forms. These building blocks are defined once and reused everywhere. Nobody has to design each page individually. It is like a corporate design manual, only directly usable as code.

Design tokens

Design tokens are the smallest units of a design system: a colour value, a font size, a spacing. Every token has a name such as "primary colour" or "heading large". Change the token, and the website changes everywhere it is used. It is comparable to a painter's colour card. You agree on "house green", not on a number code that everyone reads differently.

Git and versioning

Git is a system that records every change to files. It stores who changed what and when, and why. You can return to an earlier state at any time or compare two versions. It is like a document with a complete change history, only for entire projects. Many people can work on it at the same time.

Headless CMS

A classic content management system like WordPress manages content and displays it. Both are in one system. A headless CMS manages only the content and provides it through an API. A separate application decides how the content looks. "Headless" literally means "without a head". The visible part is detached. The advantage: the same content can appear on a website, in an app and in other places. You maintain it only once.

Markdown

Markdown is a simple way of writing formatted text in plain text files: # Heading, **bold**, - List. It can be read and edited with any text editor. That applies to people and to programs. When publishing, Markdown is automatically converted into a formatted web page.

Open source

Open-source software is software whose source code is publicly viewable. Anyone may check what the program does. Anyone may adapt and pass it on. This creates transparency. It prevents dependency on a single provider (see vendor lock-in).

Orchestration

Orchestration means running many individual work steps automatically in the right order and at the right time. An example: create a backup, download the new version, restart the service, check that everything is running, roll back on error. An orchestration tool like Kestra is the conductor. It makes sure each step starts when it is its turn.

Plugin and theme

A plugin is an extension that adds functions to a program. In WordPress these include contact forms, shops and SEO tools. A theme determines the appearance. Both usually come from third parties. Every extension is additional code on the server. That code must be maintained and secured.

Pull request

A pull request is a proposal to merge a code change into the shared project. Before that happens, the change can be reviewed, commented on and tested. It is a four-eyes principle for software. Only after approval does the change land in the main version.

Single source of truth

The single source of truth is the one place where a piece of information is authoritative. Every other place where it appears is derived from there, never the other way round. This prevents two versions that contradict each other. It is like a land register: there are many copies and extracts, but only one original counts.

TypeScript and Next.js

TypeScript is a programming language for web applications. It extends JavaScript and makes errors visible while you write the code, not only when it runs. Next.js is a framework built on top of it, that is, a foundation for building modern, fast websites.

Vendor lock-in

Vendor lock-in describes dependency on a provider. Your own data or processes are so deeply embedded in their system that switching would be disproportionately expensive or difficult. The provider can then largely dictate prices and terms. Open-source software and your own hosting are the usual way to avoid this.