Terminology

2225 terms, tools, patterns and metrics an architect is expected to use precisely. Each one gets a short explanation of what it is, and — where it matters — what it is commonly confused with. Search filters as you type; the column headers sort.

All areas2225 Architecture Fundamentals77 Distributed Systems107 Data Architecture110 Cloud Architecture94 Networking88 API & Integration Architecture82 Reliability & Resilience75 Observability70 Performance & Capacity Engineering72 Security Architecture86 Cost Architecture & FinOps71 Business Architecture67 Architecture Communication67 Enterprise Architecture66 Legacy Modernization71 AI-Era Architecture74 Software Architecture & Engineering71 Architecture Patterns71 Architecture Decision-Making63 The Architect's Meta-Skills61 Delivery & Release Engineering66 Platform Engineering & Developer Experience70 Testing & Quality Architecture66 Data Platform Architecture69 Streaming & Real-Time Data69 Data Governance & Semantics74 Frontend & Experience Architecture66 Edge, Mobile & IoT68 Regulatory & Data Protection Architecture65 Assurance, Audit & Model Risk69

Kind Any concept801 practice736 pattern377 metric127 case-study77 tool62 protocol45

8 terms shown.

Term	Kind	Topic	What it is
Adoption Curve	metric	Platform Adoption	The proportion of teams actually using a platform capability over time, which is the only honest measure of whether the platform is working.
Base Image Currency	metric	Container Image Strategy	How far behind the fleet's running images are from their patched base, which is the number that decides how fast a critical vulnerability can be closed.
Inner Loop Latency	metric	Inner Loop & Outer Loop	The time from changing a line to observing its effect, repeated dozens of times a day and therefore the highest-leverage number in developer experience.
Internal Consumer SLO	metric	Platform SLOs	A reliability commitment made to teams who cannot switch supplier, which is why it must be measured from their side rather than from the platform's.
Path Exit Rate Golden Path Abandonment Rate, Step Abandonment Rate	metric	Paved Road & Golden Path	The share of journeys along a supported path that stop at each step, which tells a platform team where teams are forced off the road rather than merely how many ended up off it.
Platform Adoption	metric	Platform Adoption	The proportion of eligible teams and workloads actually using the platform, treated as the platform's primary product metric.
Platform SLO	metric	Platform SLOs	A published reliability and performance objective the platform commits to for the teams that depend on it.
Supported Path Maintenance Load Golden Path Upkeep Cost, Path Matrix Load	metric	Paved Road & Golden Path	The recurring engineering cost of keeping every supported path working against every change in the platform beneath it, which is what actually caps how many paths a platform can offer.