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

3 terms shown.

Term	Kind	Topic	What it is
Capability Model	concept	Reference Models	A structured map of what a business does, independent of how it is organised or which systems support it, used to align technology investment with function.
Reference Model Reference Architecture	concept	Reference Models	A shared conceptual frame — layers, tiers, viewpoints, capability maps — that gives a conversation vocabulary, and whose limits are frequently forgotten.
Reference Model Tailoring Tailoring Record, Reference Architecture Subsetting	practice	Reference Models	Recording which elements of an adopted reference model you kept, replaced or dropped and why, so a deliberately smaller architecture stays defensible instead of reading as non-compliance.