Terminology

2205 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 areas2205 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 Architecture69 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 Architecture64 Streaming & Real-Time Data69 Data Governance & Semantics69 Frontend & Experience Architecture66 Edge, Mobile & IoT68 Regulatory & Data Protection Architecture65 Assurance, Audit & Model Risk64

Kind Any concept794 practice734 pattern368 metric125 case-study77 tool62 protocol45

4 terms shown.

Term	Kind	Topic	What it is
Decision Narrative	practice	Writing Decision Records	Writing a decision record so that the reasoning survives the author, focusing on the forces and the rejected options rather than the conclusion.
Rejected-Option Record ADR Alternatives Section, Why Not X	practice	Writing Decision Records	The part of a decision record that captures what was considered and dismissed and on what grounds - the only content that code, diagrams and current-state documentation cannot carry.
Revisit Condition Decision Expiry, Reconsider Trigger	practice	Writing Decision Records	The stated, checkable circumstance under which an architectural decision should be reconsidered - the field that turns a historical record into a live decision.
Writing Decision Records ADR	practice	Writing Decision Records	Recording a decision so the next person understands why — including the options rejected and the conditions that would reverse it.