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
Compensating Manual Control Load-Bearing Workaround, Downstream Correction, Shadow Correction Step	concept	Legacy Assessment	A human step outside a legacy system that corrects its output before anyone consumes it, which means the real specification is the code plus the correction - so a replacement validated against the code alone i…
Legacy Assessment	practice	Legacy Assessment	Establishing what a legacy system actually does, what depends on it, and what it costs, before deciding what to do with it.
Legacy System Assessment	practice	Legacy Assessment	A structured evaluation of a system's business value, technical condition and risk, used to decide what to do with it rather than to describe it.