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

3 terms shown.

Term	Kind	Topic	What it is
Business Capabilities	concept	Business Capabilities	What the business does, expressed independently of how it does it — the most stable frame available for drawing system boundaries.
Capability Maturity Assessment	practice	Business Capabilities	Rating each business capability on how well it is currently performed, so investment can be directed at the gap between importance and maturity.
Unfunded Technical Consequence Business-Model Debt, Structural Liability, Implied Requirement	concept	Business Capabilities	A computational or operational difficulty implied by a business-model decision but never costed, because the decision was evaluated on commercial merits in a conversation the technical consequence was not part of.