88 Software Development Terms to Know

 Learn the essential terms to know for a software development project. 

A

• Acceptance Testing: The testing that occurs on the client side. 
• Adaptive maintenance: If a program changes to a different operating system or environment, this occurs.
• Agile Software Development: A development approach that involves flexible planning and continuous improvement to deliver the software as fast as possible. 
• Algorithm: A sequence of steps that will accomplish a task if followed correctly.
• Alpha testing: The testing that occurs within a software development company.
• API (Application Programming Interface): A tool that provides completed building blocks with functionality that can be put together and into a software. 

B

• Backend: A ‘server’ software that users do not interact with directly.
• Beta testing: The testing that happens using client or selected personas’ feedback.
• Bottom-up design: An area of program refinement that starts with smaller modules and builds into a complete software program. 
• Bugs: A program error. 

C

• Code Refactoring: The process of editing code to reduce or eliminate technical debt. 
• Compiler: A program that translates a high-level program into an independent one. 
• CI (Continuous Integration): The practice of building software when all working copies of code are merged into one branch. 
• Corrective Maintenance: Takes place after a software is installed if previously undetected errors pop up. 
• CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): A style sheet language that organizes HTML elements. 

D

• Data Abstraction: A principle of data modeling that emphasizes the separation between the external interface and internal implementation.
• Data Modeling: A process used in object-oriented languages that identify objects and how they relate. 
• Data Structures: A specialized format for organizing and processing data.
• Debugging: The detection and removal of errors in a program. 
• Dependencies: Correlations between tasks that show in which order they should be executed. 
• Deploy: Inputting the code into the server so it can run.

E

• End User: The individual that uses a particular product.
• Event Driven: A system that responds to an external event.
• Event Driven Language: Designed to handle external events. 
• Executable Code: Code that can be run independently without translation. 

F

• Frontend: A ‘client” software that users interact with. 
• Functional Language: A language that uses the evaluations of expressions rather than commands. 
• Full Stack: A software developer that can work on the frontend and backend.
• Framework: A set of templates for a programming platform.

G

• General Purpose Language: A language that can be used to program solutions that cover a range of situations. 
• Git: A system for programmers to manage code content and other versions. 

H

• Hardware: Physical parts of a computer or another electronic device. 
• High-level Language: A language that is easily understood by programmers and development teams.
• HTML (Hypertext Markup Language): A markup language for the web that sturctures web pages. 
• Human Computer Interface: The interface that allows the program to interact with the outside world. 

I

• IDE (Integrated Development Environment): An application that facilitates software developers with writing code. 
• Independent Test Group: Testing of software by a group outside of the development team.
• Intermediate Code: Compiled code that is produced for a target computer. 
• ISO: A quality assurance system for software development. 
• Iterative: An iterative process that involves feedback and repetition. 

J

• Javascript: A portable language for a wide range of platforms. 

K

• Kanban: An approach for managing software development that depicts all planned work to optimize the overall process. 

L

• Linear Search: A standard algorithm that performs searches on data items in sequential order. 

M

• Machine Code: Native computer code that can be understood without translation. 
• Machine Learning: The study of algorithms and models that learn from data sets to make predictions or decisions on new data. 
• Maintenance: The upkeep of a software program.
• Markup Language: A text-encoding system that consists of symbols and notations to control a structure or relationship within a program. 
• Methodology: A technique that enables the design and development of software to be implemented. 
• Metric: In software, the measure of whether a product feature or task is quantifiable or countable. 

N

• Normal Operation: Running of a program under expected normal conditions.

O

• Object: A data item that can be manipulated by a computer program or system.
• Object-oriented Programming: A programming system based on the idea that objects that contain both data and code can modify data. 
• Open Source: Source code that’s freely available for making changes while being free to download. 
• Operating System: The software system that supports a computer or product’s basic functions. 

P

• Performance Testing: A form of testing that examines the speed, response time, and usage of software under a particular workload. 
• Programmers: A section of a development team that’s responsible for coding, testing, implementation, and maintenance. 
• Programming Language: A system of notations for writing software programs. 
• Project Manager: Member of the development team that supervises the project. 
• Prototype: A simple working version of a software. 
• Plugin: An add-on that adds new functionalities to a host program or software without alternating the host itself. 
• Pull Request: A notification given by developers when they’re done building a feature. 

Q

• QA (Quality Assurance): The process of reviewing a software product to ensure it meets expectations. 

R

• Relational Database: A database structured to recognize relations among any stored items or objects. 
• Regression Testing: The process of re-running tests to verifying the correctness of software after a change. 
• Repository: A place where data is gathered and protected. 
• Runtime: The length of time a program takes to run.

S

• SaaS (Software as a service): Type of software delivery model that’s provided over the Internet to the end user by the software owner on demand.
• Scripting Language: Used for writing smaller programs or scripts that enhance existing software. 
• Scrum: A project management methodology for effective team collaboration that’s based on Agile software development.
• SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle): The general process of software development that follows a series of steps until completion. 
• Software: Programs that help a computer system execute tasks.
• Software Engineering: An area of computing where the emphasis is on the development of high-quality software. 
• Source Code: The code for a program that’s written in a high-level language that is then translated into machine code. 
• Syntax: The structure or grammar of a statement in a given language. 

T

• Testing: Running the program to ensure its reliability. 
• Test Plan: A strategy that involves testing software under different conditions.
• Top-Down Design: A design approach that involves putting larger systems into smaller components. 

U

• Unit Testing: Testing specific pieces of code in a system.
• Usability: A quality system to determine how easy something is to use.
• User experience: Software design that focuses on usability and user satisfaction.
• User interface: Software design that focuses on the looks and style.

V

• Version Control: A software system used to manage changes to a codebase over time to help recall specific versions later. 

W

• Waterfall Model: One of the earliest models for software development that incorporates seven stages. 
• Web App: An application program on a server that is delivered over the Internet. 
• Website: Collection of web pages that share a domain name.

X

• XML (Extensive Markup Language): A markup language for encoding documents and transmitting them into serialized data.

Y

• YAML: A human-readable data format for storing and transmitting information. 

Z