Terminology

2225 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 areas2225 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 Architecture74 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 Architecture69 Streaming & Real-Time Data69 Data Governance & Semantics74 Frontend & Experience Architecture66 Edge, Mobile & IoT68 Regulatory & Data Protection Architecture65 Assurance, Audit & Model Risk69

Kind Any concept801 practice736 pattern377 metric127 case-study77 tool62 protocol45

5 terms shown.

Term	Kind	Topic	What it is
Lakehouse Table Format	tool	Open Table Formats	A metadata layer over object storage that adds atomic commits, snapshots and schema evolution to files that otherwise have none.
Metadata Read Amplification Planning-Time Amplification, Manifest Read Blow-Up	concept	Open Table Formats	The number of small sequential metadata requests a table format issues before reading any data, which grows with file history and turns a modest storage slowdown into a large query slowdown.
Metadata-Only Migration In-Place Table Adoption, Manifest Generation Migration	pattern	Open Table Formats	Adopting a table format over data files that already exist by generating its metadata in place, so a multi-petabyte conversion becomes a minutes-long commit instead of a full rewrite.
Open Table Format Iceberg, Delta Lake, Hudi	tool	Open Table Formats	A metadata layer over object storage files that provides atomic commits, schema evolution and time travel, turning a directory of files into a real table.
Snapshot Expiry Snapshot Retention, Metadata Expiry	practice	Open Table Formats	The scheduled removal of a table's old snapshots and the data files only those snapshots referenced, which is what stops time travel from turning every rewritten row into permanent storage.