Reference • 10 min read • Last updated: Tue Feb 20 2024 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Technical Glossary

A quick reference for the terms used across FormatWise.

A

  • Algorithm: A step-by-step set of instructions to solve a problem.
  • API (Application Programming Interface): A way for two computer programs to communicate with each other.
  • ASCII: An early character encoding standard for English text.

B

  • Bandwidth: The maximum amount of data that can be transmitted over an internet connection in a given time.
  • Binary: A number system with base-2, using only digits 0 and 1.
  • Bit: The smallest unit of data (0 or 1).
  • Byte: A group of 8 bits.

C

  • Cache: A temporary storage area used to access data quickly.
  • Client: A computer or software (like a web browser) that requests services from a server.
  • Compression: The process of encoding information using fewer bits than the original representation.

D

  • DNS (Domain Name System): The system that translates domain names (google.com) into IP addresses.
  • Domain: The address of a website.

E

  • Encryption: The process of converting information into a code to prevent unauthorized access.
  • Extension: The suffix at the end of a filename (e.g., .txt) that indicates the file type.

H

  • HTTP: The protocol used for transmitting web pages over the internet.
  • Hexadecimal: A base-16 number system often used to represent colors or binary code in a readable way.

I

  • IP Address: A unique string of numbers separated by periods that identifies each computer using the Internet Protocol.

L

  • Latency: The delay before a transfer of data begins following an instruction.
  • Lossless: Compression where no data is lost.
  • Lossy: Compression where some data is discarded to save space.

M

  • Metadata: Data that describes other data (e.g., the date a photo was taken).

P

  • Pixel: The smallest controllable element of a picture represented on the screen.
  • Protocol: A set of rules governing the exchange or transmission of data.

S

  • Server: A computer or system that provides resources, data, services, or programs to other computers, known as clients.
  • Syntax: The set of rules that defines the combinations of symbols that are considered to be a correctly structured document or fragment in that language.

U

  • Unicode: A computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation, and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems.
  • URL (Uniform Resource Locator): The address of a World Wide Web page.