Terminology

2185 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 areas2185 Architecture Fundamentals77 Distributed Systems107 Data Architecture110 Cloud Architecture89 Networking88 API & Integration Architecture82 Reliability & Resilience75 Observability70 Performance & Capacity Engineering72 Security Architecture81 Cost Architecture & FinOps66 Business Architecture67 Architecture Communication67 Enterprise Architecture66 Legacy Modernization66 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 concept785 practice729 pattern362 metric125 case-study77 tool62 protocol45

4 terms shown.

Term	Kind	Topic	What it is
Cardinality Estimation	concept	Query Optimisation	The planner's prediction of how many rows each step of a query will produce — the input that determines every other choice it makes.
Join Strategies	concept	Query Optimisation	The three ways a database combines two row sets — nested loop, hash join and merge join — and the conditions under which each is correct.
Query Optimisation	practice	Query Optimisation	Making the database do less work — usually by removing round trips and rows rather than by rewriting clever SQL.
Write-Amplification Audit Index Cost Review, Write Path Accounting	practice	Query Optimisation	Accounting for everything a single logical write actually costs - indexes, replication, triggers, deletion of old rows - before concluding that a database needs more capacity.