Terminology

2240 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 areas2240 Architecture Fundamentals77 Distributed Systems107 Data Architecture110 Cloud Architecture94 Networking88 API & Integration Architecture82 Reliability & Resilience80 Observability75 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 Architecture71 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 concept806 practice738 pattern379 metric133 case-study77 tool62 protocol45

3 terms shown.

Term	Kind	Topic	What it is
Device Shadow Digital Twin, Reported and Desired State	pattern	Digital Twin	A cloud-side representation of a device's last reported state and its intended state, letting applications interact with devices that are asleep or offline.
Explicit Staleness As-Of Semantics, Freshness Disclosure	practice	Digital Twin	Publishing how old a modelled or cached value is alongside the value itself, so consumers can judge whether it is usable rather than assuming it is current.
Reported Versus Desired State	pattern	Digital Twin	Holding two representations of a device — what it last said it was, and what it should be — with the gap between them driving reconciliation.