Glossary
Plain-English definitions of technical terms that business owners encounter when evaluating, buying, or managing software projects.
What Is Electron
Definition Electron is an open-source framework that lets developers build desktop applications for Windows, macOS, and Linux using web technologies — HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Instead of writing separate native code for each operating system, a team builds the application once using the same languages and tools they would use for a website, and Electron packages it as a standalone...
What Are Embeddings
Definition Embeddings are a way of converting text — words, sentences, or entire documents — into lists of numbers (vectors) that capture the meaning of that text. Two pieces of text that mean similar things will have similar numerical representations, even if they use completely different words. For example, “the car broke down” and “the vehicle stopped working” would produce...
What Is Encryption
Definition Encryption is the process of converting readable data into a scrambled format that can only be decoded by someone with the correct key. Think of it as putting a message into a locked box — anyone can carry the box, but only the person with the right key can open it and read what is inside. Encryption protects data...
What Is End-to-End Testing
Definition End-to-end testing (often abbreviated to E2E testing) validates a complete user journey through your application, from the first interaction to the final outcome. Rather than testing individual components or their connections, E2E tests simulate a real user — clicking buttons, filling in forms, navigating between pages, and verifying that the expected results appear on screen. These tests typically run...
What Is an Endpoint
Definition An endpoint is a specific address that one system uses to communicate with another. When two pieces of software need to exchange data — for example, your website sending a form submission to your CRM — the request is sent to an endpoint. Each endpoint handles a particular type of request, like retrieving customer records, creating a new order,...
What Is an Environment Variable
Definition An environment variable is a named value that is set outside of your application’s code and used to configure how the application behaves in a particular environment. Common examples include database connection details, API keys for third-party services, and settings that differ between development, staging, and production — such as whether to send real emails or capture them for...
What Is an ERP
Definition ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning — it is a type of software that brings together core business functions into a single integrated system. Rather than using separate tools for accounting, inventory, human resources, procurement, and project management, an ERP combines them so they share data and processes. When a sale is made, the inventory updates, the invoice is...
About the Glossary
Why Plain Language Matters More Than Technical Fluency
Every software project involves terminology that business owners are expected to understand but rarely have reason to learn. Developers use terms like API, CI/CD, middleware, and bearer token as if everyone shares the same vocabulary — and when a client nods along without fully understanding, decisions get made on incomplete information. That gap between technical language and business understanding is where the most expensive mistakes happen: approving architectures you cannot evaluate, signing off on testing strategies you cannot verify, and accepting timelines based on concepts you have not had properly explained.
This glossary exists to close that gap. Each entry provides a plain-English definition, an explanation of why the term matters to your business, and a concrete example of the concept in action. These are not textbook definitions written for computer science students. They are practical explanations for the person who needs to make decisions about software without becoming a developer in the process.
We built this glossary from the questions our clients actually ask — in discovery calls, during project reviews, and in Slack threads where someone finally admits they are not sure what a term means. The entries reflect what business owners genuinely need to understand, not what a technical writer thinks is important. Across hundreds of client engagements, we have found that the single biggest predictor of a smooth project is a client who understands enough vocabulary to ask the right questions. Not to write the code — just to evaluate the answers they are given.
The definitions here deliberately link to deeper content elsewhere on the site. If a glossary entry sparks a question about how we implement something, the Knowledge Center, Services, and Systems sections have the full picture. The glossary is the starting point, not the destination.
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