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
Architecture Fitness Function in CI Architecture Test, ArchUnit Test	practice	Fitness Functions	An executable check in the build that fails when an architectural constraint is violated, turning a design rule into a property the codebase cannot lose.
Automated Governance	practice	Fitness Functions	Encoding architectural rules as executable checks in the build pipeline, so conformance is verified continuously rather than reviewed periodically.
Fitness Function Drift Vacuous Check, Silent Rule Decay	concept	Fitness Functions	The failure mode in which an architecture check keeps passing after it has stopped examining anything, so a green build certifies a rule that is no longer enforced.