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
Data Key Caching Key Reuse Window, Envelope Key Caching	practice	Key Management	Reusing one generated data key across a bounded number of objects, bytes and seconds, so that envelope encryption does not make one key-service request per record.
Envelope Encryption	pattern	Key Management	Encrypting data with a locally generated data key, then encrypting that key with a master key held in a key management service.
Hardware Security Module HSM	tool	Key Management	A tamper-resistant device that generates and stores keys and performs cryptographic operations without the key material ever being extractable.
Key Rotation	practice	Key Management	Periodically replacing a cryptographic key with a new one while retaining the old for decrypting existing data, so exposure from any single key is bounded.
Signing Boundary Policy Policy at the HSM, Constrained Signing	pattern	Key Management	Enforcing transaction policy at the hardware signing boundary rather than in application code, so that a compromised application cannot obtain an arbitrary signature.