Glossary of terms
There are a number of unavoidable technical terms that will be used throughout the following lessons. This is not a comprehensive guide of all definitions that make up web application development. Just explanations of the main concepts that will be introduced in the following lessons.
Computer systems designed to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as understanding language, recognizing patterns, or making decisions.
A type of AI system trained on vast amounts of text data to predict and generate human-like language. Examples include GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini.
The underlying AI system that processes your input and generates responses. Think of it as the "brain" that has learned patterns from training data and uses those patterns to predict what text should come next.
The input text you provide to guide the model's response. Rather than just a question, it's the complete context that sets up the scenario for the model to complete in the way you want.
GitHub uses the "Git" version control system that tracks changes to your code over time. Think of it like "track changes" for code - you can see what changed, when, and revert to previous versions if something breaks.
A folder containing your project files along with the complete history of changes made to those files. Repositories can be stored locally on your computer or remotely on services like GitHub.
A snapshot of your code at a specific point in time. When you commit, you're saving a version of your project with a message describing what you changed.
A separate line of development in your project. You can create branches to work on new features without affecting the main code, then merge them back when ready.
The part of a web application that users interact with directly in their browser. Also called the "client-side," it includes everything users see and click on - the interface, buttons, forms, and visual design.
A pre-built foundation that provides structure and common functionality for building applications. React, Angular, and Vue.js are popular frontend frameworks.
A higher-level framework built on top of existing frameworks that adds additional features like routing, server-side rendering, and build optimization. Next.js (built on React), React Router, and Astro are popular meta-frameworks.
Software for writing and editing code. Popular options include Cursor and Visual Studio Code. These provide syntax highlighting, error detection, and debugging tools.
A text-based interface for interacting with your computer. Developers use it to run commands, install packages, and manage files without using a graphical interface.
The steps that convert your development code into optimized files ready for production. This might include minifying code, compiling TypeScript, or bundling assets.
Modern web hosting providers connects to your repositories to build and host version of your application which can be served around the world to users. Examples include Vercel and Netlify.