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

6 terms shown.

Term	Kind	Topic	What it is
Canonical Data Model Common Data Model, Enterprise Data Model	concept	Integration Patterns	One shared representation that every producer maps into and every consumer reads from, trading N×M translations for a single model that grows monotonically and can never be trimmed.
Capability Flag Partner Capability, Feature Declaration	practice	Integration Patterns	Representing genuine differences between integrated partners as explicit declared capabilities, rather than as variant fields in a shared canonical model.
Integration Coupling Modes	concept	Integration Patterns	The distinct dimensions along which two systems can be coupled — temporal, format, location, semantic — each with its own remedy.
Message Router	pattern	Integration Patterns	A component that inspects a message and forwards it to one of several destinations based on its content or headers.
Message Translator	pattern	Integration Patterns	A component converting a message between two systems' formats, so neither has to adopt the other's model.
Provider Capability Matrix Integration Support Grid, Honest Capability Declaration	practice	Integration Patterns	An explicit per-provider record of which normalised capabilities are genuinely supported, which are approximated and which are unavailable - published as a product feature rather than kept as internal documentation.