Terminology

454 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 areas454 Architecture Fundamentals16 Distributed Systems73 Data Architecture71 Cloud Architecture55 Networking13 API & Integration Architecture17 Reliability & Resilience16 Observability14 Performance & Capacity Engineering13 Security Architecture50 Cost Architecture & FinOps12 Business Architecture9 Architecture Communication8 Enterprise Architecture8 Legacy Modernization11 AI-Era Architecture15 Software Architecture & Engineering19 Architecture Patterns15 Architecture Decision-Making11 The Architect's Meta-Skills8

Kind Any concept166 practice107 pattern93 case-study26 tool26 protocol22 metric14

4 terms shown.

Term	Kind	Topic	What it is
Architecture Principle	practice	Architecture Fundamentals	A durable, agreed rule that constrains design decisions in advance, stated with its rationale and its implications.
Evolutionary Architecture	practice	Architecture Fundamentals	Designing for guided, incremental change rather than trying to get the structure right once, up front.
Fitness Function	practice	Architecture Fundamentals	An automated check that an architectural characteristic still holds, run continuously rather than reviewed occasionally.
Quality Attribute Scenario QAS	practice	Architecture Fundamentals	A structured, testable statement of a non-functional requirement: source, stimulus, environment, artefact, response, response measure.