Glossary
Common terminology and definitions used across EGI. If you encounter a term that should be added here, please update this document.
Business & Operations
ADR (Architecture Decision Record)
A document that captures an important architectural decision made along with its context and consequences. Used to document why systems are built the way they are.
Example: "See ADR-005 for why we chose PostgreSQL over MongoDB"
Client Onboarding
The process of setting up a new client, including contracts, access provisioning, kickoff meetings, and initial project setup.
Related: See Client Onboarding Checklist
Domain Cutover
The process of transitioning a domain from one DNS provider or infrastructure to another, including DNS updates, verification, and monitoring.
Related: See Domain Cutover Checklist
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
Business management software used to manage day-to-day business activities. At EGI, we use ERPNext.
System: [ERPNext URL]
FPD (Field Project Dashboard)
Internal tool for tracking field projects, GPS coordinates, and project status.
Runbook
A document containing procedures for routine or emergency operations of a system. Typically includes step-by-step instructions for common scenarios.
Example: "Check the runbook for instructions on restarting the service"
SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)
A unique identifier for each distinct product and service that can be purchased.
SLA (Service Level Agreement)
A commitment between a service provider and client defining the level of service expected, including uptime, response times, and support availability.
Example: "Our SLA guarantees 99.9% uptime"
SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)
A detailed written instruction to achieve uniformity in performing a specific function. Core documentation type at EGI.
Related: See SOP Template
UAT (User Acceptance Testing)
Testing performed by end-users to verify the system meets their requirements before going live.
Technical Terms
API (Application Programming Interface)
A set of definitions and protocols for building and integrating application software.
CDN (Content Delivery Network)
A geographically distributed network of servers that deliver web content based on user location.
Examples: Cloudflare, AWS CloudFront
CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment)
Automated process for building, testing, and deploying code changes.
Tools: GitHub Actions, CircleCI
CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing)
A security feature that controls how web pages in one domain can access resources from another domain.
CSP (Content Security Policy)
A security standard to prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) and other code injection attacks.
DNS (Domain Name System)
The system that translates human-readable domain names (like example.com) to IP addresses.
Engine
Historical internal term for a core business logic or processing system in the retired engine-era model. Avoid using it as a current organizing concept in active SOPs.
Environment Variables
Configuration values stored outside application code, typically for sensitive data like API keys and database credentials.
Convention: See Naming Conventions
Health Check
An endpoint or mechanism that reports whether a service is functioning correctly.
Common paths: /health, /api/health, /status
HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security)
A security policy mechanism that protects websites against protocol downgrade attacks.
Middleware
Software that acts as a bridge between an operating system or database and applications.
Migration
The process of moving data, applications, or infrastructure from one environment to another.
Related: See Migration Checklist
ORM (Object-Relational Mapping)
A technique for converting data between incompatible type systems using object-oriented programming languages.
Examples: Prisma, Drizzle, TypeORM
Rollback
The process of reverting a system to a previous state, typically after a failed deployment or during an incident.
SSR (Server-Side Rendering)
Rendering web pages on the server rather than in the browser, improving initial load time and SEO.
TTL (Time To Live)
In DNS, the duration in seconds that a DNS record can be cached before it must be refreshed.
Example: "Reduce TTL to 300 seconds before DNS cutover"
Webhook
An HTTP callback that sends real-time data from one application to another when an event occurs.
Monitoring & Observability
CrowdSec
Security automation tool that detects and blocks malicious behavior based on crowdsourced threat intelligence.
Related: Incident response, Security monitoring
Incident
An unplanned interruption or reduction in quality of a service requiring immediate response.
Severity Levels:
- P0: Complete outage, business-critical
- P1: Partial outage, major feature unavailable
- P2: Performance degradation, workaround available
- P3: Minor issue, minimal impact
- P4: Cosmetic issue, no functional impact
Related: See Incident Report Template
PostHog
Analytics and feature flag platform used for product analytics, session replay, and experimentation.
Dashboard: [PostHog URL]
Uptime Kuma
Self-hosted monitoring tool used to track uptime and performance of services.
Dashboard: [Uptime Kuma URL]
Related: See Uptime Monitoring Checklist
Development & Code
Branch
An independent line of development in version control, used to develop features or fixes in isolation.
Convention: See Naming Conventions
Conventional Commits
A specification for adding human and machine-readable meaning to commit messages.
Format: type(scope): description
Types: feat, fix, docs, style, refactor, test, chore
Dependency
A library or package that your application relies on to function.
Management: package.json, requirements.txt, go.mod
Linter
A tool that analyzes code to detect programming errors, bugs, stylistic errors, and suspicious constructs.
Examples: ESLint, Pylint, RuboCop
Monorepo
A single repository containing multiple projects, often with shared dependencies.
PR (Pull Request)
A method of submitting contributions to a repository, where changes are reviewed before being merged.
Convention: See Naming Conventions
Repository (Repo)
A storage location for software packages, typically containing source code, documentation, and metadata.
Convention: See Naming Conventions
Staging Environment
A testing environment that closely mirrors production, used for final testing before deployment.
Tech Debt (Technical Debt)
The implied cost of additional rework caused by choosing an easy solution now instead of a better approach that would take longer.
Project Management
Backlog
A list of features, enhancements, and bug fixes waiting to be addressed, prioritized by value and effort.
Epic
A large body of work that can be broken down into smaller tasks (user stories).
Milestone
A significant point or event in a project timeline, often marking the completion of a major phase.
Sprint
A fixed time period (typically 1-2 weeks) during which specific work must be completed and ready for review.
User Story
A short, simple description of a feature from the perspective of the end user.
Format: "As a [role], I want [feature] so that [benefit]"
Security
Authentication (AuthN)
The process of verifying the identity of a user or system.
Authorization (AuthZ)
The process of determining what an authenticated user is allowed to do.
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
European regulation on data protection and privacy.
OAuth
An open standard for access delegation, commonly used for token-based authentication.
Secret
Sensitive information such as API keys, passwords, tokens, or certificates that must be protected.
Storage: Never commit to Git. Use environment variables or secret management tools.
Zero Trust
A security model that assumes no user or system should be trusted by default, even inside the network perimeter.
Communication
On-Call
A schedule of team members responsible for responding to incidents outside normal business hours.
Postmortem
A process of reviewing an incident after it has been resolved to understand what happened and how to prevent similar issues. Also called incident report or retrospective.
Related: See Incident Report Template
Retrospective (Retro)
A meeting held after a project or sprint to reflect on what went well, what didn't, and how to improve.
Standup
A brief daily meeting where team members share what they worked on, what they're working on, and any blockers.
War Room
A dedicated communication channel (Slack, video call) used during critical incidents or launches for real-time coordination.
Acronyms
- API: Application Programming Interface
- CDN: Content Delivery Network
- CI/CD: Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment
- CMS: Content Management System
- CORS: Cross-Origin Resource Sharing
- CSP: Content Security Policy
- DNS: Domain Name System
- E2E: End-to-End (testing)
- ERP: Enterprise Resource Planning
- FPD: Field Project Dashboard
- GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation
- HSTS: HTTP Strict Transport Security
- MX: Mail Exchange (DNS record)
- ORM: Object-Relational Mapping
- PR: Pull Request
- QA: Quality Assurance
- RACI: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed
- REST: Representational State Transfer
- SDK: Software Development Kit
- SEO: Search Engine Optimization
- SKU: Stock Keeping Unit
- SLA: Service Level Agreement
- SOP: Standard Operating Procedure
- SPF: Sender Policy Framework (email authentication)
- SQL: Structured Query Language
- SSH: Secure Shell
- SSL/TLS: Secure Sockets Layer / Transport Layer Security
- SSR: Server-Side Rendering
- TTL: Time To Live
- UAT: User Acceptance Testing
- UI/UX: User Interface / User Experience
- URL: Uniform Resource Locator
- UUID: Universally Unique Identifier
- VPN: Virtual Private Network
Contributing
To add a new term to this glossary:
- Determine the appropriate category
- Add the term in alphabetical order within its category
- Include a clear, concise definition
- Add examples or related links when helpful
- Keep definitions accessible to non-technical readers when possible
Format:
### Term Name
Definition of the term. Keep it clear and concise.
**Example:** "Usage example if helpful"
**Related:** Links to related documentation