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

5 terms shown.

Term	Kind	Topic	What it is
Arrow Semantics Edge Semantics, Line Notation Discipline	practice	Architecture Diagrams	The rule that every line on an architecture diagram declares what it is - call or data, synchronous or asynchronous, and what happens when it fails - because each meaning implies a different failure mode.
Diagram Altitude	concept	Architecture Diagrams	The level of abstraction a diagram commits to, and the rule that mixing levels in one picture makes it useless to every audience.
Diagram Notation Consistency	practice	Architecture Diagrams	Using shapes, colours, line styles and arrow directions to mean the same thing across every diagram, and stating what they mean on the diagram itself.
Diagrams as Code Architecture as Code, Textual Diagram Model	practice	Architecture Diagrams	Keeping architecture pictures as text in the same repository as the code they describe, so a structural change and its diagram are reviewed in one pull request instead of drifting apart.
Intermediate-State Diagram Transition-State View, Migration Step View	pattern	Architecture Diagrams	A short series of diagrams showing the system at each step between today and the target, each marking which store is authoritative and where rollback stops being possible.