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

4 terms shown.

Term	Kind	Topic	What it is
Governed Metric Set The Twenty Numbers, Governance Boundary	practice	Self-Service vs Governed	The deliberately small collection of metrics defined once with an owner, with everything else left explicitly self-service - because governing all analysis becomes a bottleneck and is abandoned.
Governed Path Bypass Shadow Access Route, Route-Around	concept	Self-Service vs Governed	Any route to data that reaches it without passing the controls the organisation believes are in force, which is what makes a correct policy optional rather than binding.
Governed Self-Service	concept	Self-Service vs Governed	Letting anyone analyse anything while constraining what may be treated as authoritative, which resolves the apparent conflict between speed and consistency.
Self-Service versus Governed	concept	Self-Service vs Governed	Balancing analyst autonomy against consistency — resolved by tiers and enforced definitions rather than by restricting access.