Terminology

2185 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 areas2185 Architecture Fundamentals77 Distributed Systems107 Data Architecture110 Cloud Architecture89 Networking88 API & Integration Architecture82 Reliability & Resilience75 Observability70 Performance & Capacity Engineering72 Security Architecture81 Cost Architecture & FinOps66 Business Architecture67 Architecture Communication67 Enterprise Architecture66 Legacy Modernization66 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 concept785 practice729 pattern362 metric125 case-study77 tool62 protocol45

67 terms shown.

Term	Kind	Topic	What it is
Technical Proposal Structure	practice	Technical Proposals	An arrangement for a written design proposal that lets reviewers engage with the decision rather than reconstructing the problem.
Trade-off Framing	practice	Explaining Trade-offs	Presenting a decision as a choice between named costs rather than as a search for a best option, so the audience can exercise the judgement that is properly theirs.
Trust Boundary Diagram	practice	Communicating Threat Models	A diagram marking where data crosses between zones of differing trust, which is the structure a threat model is built on and the form security findings are best communicated in.
Update Cadence Commitment Next-Update Promise, Incident Comms Rhythm	practice	Presenting to Executives	Promising when the next update will arrive rather than when the problem will be fixed, so the one commitment made during an incident is one the team can actually keep.
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.
Written Communication	practice	Written Communication	Writing that reaches more people than any meeting, survives longer, and forces the thinking that verbal explanation lets you skip.
Written Design Document RFC, Design Doc	practice	Technical Proposals	A prose document proposing an approach, circulated for comment before implementation, which forces the clarity that diagrams and conversation allow you to avoid.