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

4 terms shown.

Term	Kind	Topic	What it is
Accessibility Testing a11y Testing, WCAG Testing	practice	Accessibility Testing	Verifying that an interface is usable by people with disabilities, through automated checks, assistive technology testing and structural review.
Accessible Component Contract Component Accessibility Contract, Design System Accessibility Guarantee	pattern	Accessibility Testing	A published, tested statement of a shared component's keyboard model, roles, names and announced states, so that accessibility is verified once where the component is built rather than re-audited in every prod…
Automated Accessibility Coverage	metric	Accessibility Testing	The proportion of accessibility criteria a tool can decide mechanically — around a third — and the explicit acknowledgement that the rest needs people.
Composition Accessibility Defect Assembled-Page Accessibility Defect, Integration-Level A11y Failure	concept	Accessibility Testing	An accessibility failure that exists only in the assembled page - focus order, landmark duplication, heading structure, announcement rate - and that every individually conformant component can pass its own che…