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
Cache Key Completeness	practice	Reverse Proxies	The requirement that a cache key capture every input varying the response - the property whose violation turns a caching bug into a data leak.
Origin Shield Shield Tier, Mid-Tier Cache, Request Collapsing Tier	pattern	Reverse Proxies	An intermediate caching tier between edge caches and the origin that collapses many simultaneous misses into a single origin fetch - which is what makes multi-CDN and live streaming survivable for the origin.
Proxy Buffering	concept	Reverse Proxies	Whether a reverse proxy accumulates a response before forwarding it, which protects the backend from slow clients but breaks streaming.
Reverse Proxy in Practice	pattern	Reverse Proxies	A server that sits in front of origins and terminates, caches, routes and protects — the cheapest place to solve several problems at once.
X-Forwarded-For Forwarded Header	concept	Reverse Proxies	The header chain recording original client addresses through a series of proxies — and a value that must never be trusted without knowing the topology.