The Ultimate Full-Stack Dictionary: A-Z Guide for Developers and Business Analysts – Part 1

Whether you’re a new developer diving deep into code or an astute business analyst curating the next great Full-Stack development project, the ability to understand the language of tech is necessary. This Full Stack Developer Dictionary is designed to be your comprehensive companion, explaining key terms from A to Z. Each entry, from a developer’s point of view, is specifically written from a technical perspective and, from a business analyst’s point of view, from a strategic one. Read this blog for a never-before blend of knowledge for developers, business analysts, or BDEs!

Tech Insights for Developers & Business Analysts

A

API—Application Programming Interface

Developer POV: An API is a set of rules that allows different software entities to interact among themselves. A developer uses an API when integrating different systems to provide seamless interactions among various applications.

Business Analyst POV: APIs enable smooth communication between systems, which saves time and money. This reduces redundant operations and the likelihood of errors.

Agile

Developer POV: Agile is a methodology that helps in iterative development, and through collaboration – requirements and solutions evolve. It promotes adaptive planning, evolutionary development, early delivery, and continuous improvement.

Business Analyst POV: Agile methodologies enable flexibility and quick reaction to change, ultimately resulting in better project outcomes and customer satisfaction through the delivery of products that meet dynamic requirements.

B

Backend

Developer POV: The backend is the server side of any application that deals with database interactions and server logic, including the integration of any service. It is the backbone of any web application for handling requests and responses.

Business Analyst Perspective: Understanding the backend is critical to determine how data will be handled and secured to ensure the general functionality and reliability of the application.

Business Logic

Developer POV: This is the set of rules or algorithms that handle the data between a database and a user interface. It’s the most important part of an application that accomplishes business operations.

Business Analyst: Business logic ensures that all the business rules, policies, and procedures are correctly executed, aligning the software functionality with business objectives.

C

CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment)

Developer POV: The method of frequent application delivery to customers by introducing automation into the stages of application development. Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery, and Continuous Deployment are the major terms attributed to CI/CD.

Business Analyst: CI/CD reduces the time to market and promotes new features and bug fixes. This improves the general efficiency and reliability of the development process.

Cloud Computing

Developer POV: Cloud computing allows the use of a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet for storing, managing, and processing data without use of local servers.

Business Analyst: Cloud computing offers scalability, therefore supporting the continuity of business operations.

D

Docker

Developer’s POV: Docker is a platform that brings OS-level virtualization to software delivery through a pack that is called a container. Containers are light, portable, and ensure consistency across multiple development and release cycles.

Business Analyst POV: Docker helps make the process of development, testing, and deployment easier, as it assures that applications are going to work reliably despite the environment.

Data Analysis

Developer POV: Analysis of data is a process of inspecting, cleaning, and modeling data with the purpose of finding useful information and deriving conclusions from it. This, in turn, is extremely important for application performance and user experience.

Business Analyst POV: Data analysis provides insight to help make decisions, identify trends, and understand behavior, resulting in better business strategies.

E

Express.js.

Developer’s Point of View: Express.js is a minimalist flexible Node.js web application framework that enables a powerful way of building web APIs. It facilitates the rapid development of Node.js applications.

Business Analyst Perspective: The use of frameworks such as Express.js accelerates the development time and ensures that applications are built with a robust and scalable foundation.

E-commerce

Developers’ Perspective: E-commerce, as we know, enables the online buying and selling of goods or services. This encompasses the development of both front-end interfaces and back-end systems – which integrate various APIs and third-party services. This ensures security and a seamless shopping experience.

Business Analyst: e-commerce is an important business model where goods or services are sold via the internet, requiring careful analysis for the perfecting of user experience and operation efficiency.

F

Front-end

Developer POV: The front-end is the client side of an application, dealing with all that the user is going to deal with directly. Technologies include HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. In short, front-end includes the design, layout and interactivity of the website and translates visual design into a functional and responsive user interface.

Business Analyst: A well-designed front-end ensures good user experience and is critical for customer satisfaction and retention and thus, for your clients too.

Functional Requirements

Developer’s Point of View: Functional requirements will specify what the system shall do, explaining what functionalities and features are to be implemented.

Business Analyst: Functional requirements provide the Business Analyst with a clear and detailed roadmap to guide development in a way where all stakeholders have a shared understanding of the project goals.

G

Git

Developer POV: Git is a distributed version control system that tracks changes in source code during software development. It allows more than one developer to work on the same codebase simultaneously.

Business Analyst POV: Git maintains version control and efficiency of collaboration, which is vital to maintaining project integrity and tracking progress.

Gap Analysis

Developer POV: In software development, gap analysis is the comparison of the current state of a system or process to the desired future state to identify discrepancies and areas needing improvement.

Business Analyst’s Opinion: Gap analysis will help in finding the gaps between the present capabilities and business requirements, which will lead to strategic planning and resource allocation.

H

HTTP/HTTPS

Developer Point of View: HTTP—Hypertext Transfer Protocol—and HTTPS—HTTP Secure—are protocols used for sending information across the web. HTTPS adds a security layer by encrypting the data sent.

Business Analyst: Data transmission security is very critical to ensure protection of sensitive information. The site can be hacked, or data can be stolen – if this standard security procedure is not taken care of.

Hadoop

POV Developer: Hadoop is a framework that is open source, distributed, and can run huge data sets across computer clusters. It uses simple programming models to process big data.

Business Analyst: Hadoop allows for analyzing huge volumes of data, bringing about insights on which business decisions and strategies may be based.

I

Internet of Things, or IoT

Developer POV: We were earlier connected by the Internet of People – where the people are connected through multiple platforms. IoT – Internet of things means – an ocean of devices that will be connected throughout the world – sharing data for quick decision making!

Business Analyst: IoT can allow organizations to innovate business models and services, bringing forward a new basis for connecting with their customers and optimizing their operations.

Impact Analysis

Developer POV: Impact analysis can find what an alteration to the codebase really does to the already-existing system and help the developers anticipate problems.

Business Analyst: Impact analysis is an evaluation of how proposed changes will affect business processes and helps to ensure that benefits outweigh risks.

J

JavaScript

Developer POV: JavaScript is a high-level programming language that is essential for web development, enabling interactive and dynamic content on websites. It is a scripting language. Whenever you see a click-to-show dropdown menu, dynamically changing element colors – or such features – these are the effects of JavaScript. Without JavaScript, you would now see an internet that is pure HTML and nothing else.

Business Analyst POV: Being versatile and in wide use, JavaScript is a must-have technology for any modern web application development that would meet users’ expectations.

JIRA

Developer: JIRA is a tool used for issue tracking and software development project management. It tracks bugs, stories, and tasks.

Business Analyst Viewpoint: JIRA enables the management of projects, thus keeping all team members working together in harmony to deliver projects according to the timeline.

K

Kubernetes

Developer POV: Kubernetes is an open-source platform that automates the deployment, scaling, and operation of containerized applications. It makes applications cluster management easy.

Business Analyst: Kubernetes works for the efficiency and reliability of the deployment of applications, which is critical to keeping the service at its best with optimum operational efficiency.

Kanban

Developer’s Point of View: It is a method for visualizing the management of workflow and tasks within teams.

Business Analyst: Kanban is a very clear visualization of the workflow that helps teams recognize bottlenecks and work for better productivity.

L

Linux

Developer’s point of view: Linux is an open-source operating system characterized by its stability and security features; it’s usually used in server environments and during development.

Business Analyst Point of View: Understanding Linux can help understand the technological environment and be compatible with the business applications.

Load Balancing

Developer POV: Load balancing distributes incoming network traffic across multiple servers, ensuring that no single server is overwhelmed, to improve reliability and performance.

Business Analyst: Effective load balancing ensures the high availability and responsiveness of business-critical applications for enhanced user experience.

M

Microservices

Developer POV: An architectural style that structures an application as a collection of loosely coupled services. The services can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently.

Business Analyst POV: This architecture allows greater agility and scalability to adjust faster to the emergent needs in the business environment.

Market Analysis

Developer POV: Research in the market to know the trends and needs the software must accommodate.

Business Analyst POV: Market analysis provides customer demand insights and competitive landscapes that guide product development and business strategies.

Wrapping up Part 1 of the Full-Stack Dictionary

We will tune in for the second part of this blog – with all important terms outlined for you from Letter N Onwards! Do read this blog and tell us what you think!