IT Glossary
Key Terms To Know In The IT Industry

Full-Text Indexing

The process of creating an index of every word in a set of documents or database records to support comprehensive and rapid search queries.

You will find this term commonly used in Data Management

Full-Text Search

A search technique that scans all the words in every stored document as it tries to match search criteria (e.g., text queries). It is widely used in databases and search engines to provide quick, comprehensive searches of text-based content.

You will find this term commonly used in Databases, Web Development

Function (in Programming)

A block of organized, reusable code that is used to perform a single, related action. Functions are fundamental to procedural programming, and many languages have built-in functions that perform specific operations.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development

Function as a Microservice

A design approach where individual functions or services are deployed as independent microservices, often in a serverless computing environment. This allows for scaling, updating, and managing functions separately for greater flexibility and efficiency.

You will find this term commonly used in Cloud Computing, Software Development

Function as a Proxy (FaaP)

A serverless computing model where functions are deployed to act as proxies for more complex operations or services, often enabling lightweight and flexible integrations between different systems or components. FaaP can simplify architecture by abstracting underlying services.

You will find this term commonly used in Cloud Computing, Software Development

Function Call Overhead

The performance cost associated with invoking a function in programming, particularly relevant in languages and environments where function calls are frequent.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Performance Optimization

Function Currying

A functional programming technique of converting a function that takes multiple arguments into a sequence of functions each with a single argument.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development

Function Key

A key on a computer or terminal keyboard which can be programmed so as to cause an operating system to perform certain actions. Function keys are typically labeled F1 through F12 or F15 and can perform default actions or custom shortcuts in applications.

You will find this term commonly used in Hardware, User Interface

Function Overloading

A feature in many programming languages that allows the creation of several functions with the same name, which differ from each other in the type or number of their parameters.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development

Function Point Analysis

A standardized method to measure software development effort and size based on the functionality delivered to the user. Function point analysis considers elements such as inputs, outputs, user interactions, files, and external interfaces.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Management

Function Pointer

A type of pointer used in programming languages, such as C or C++, which points to a function, allowing the function to be called through the pointer.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development

Function Signature

The unique identification of a function in programming that includes its name, the number and types of its parameters, and its return type. Function signatures are essential for function overloading and for the compiler to differentiate between different functions.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development

Function-as-a-Service (FaaS)

A category of cloud computing services that provides a platform allowing customers to execute code in response to events without the complexity of building and maintaining the infrastructure typically associated with developing and launching an app.

You will find this term commonly used in Cloud Computing

Functional Decomposition

The process of breaking down complex processes or systems into simpler, more manageable components. In software engineering, it involves breaking down the functionality of a system into smaller parts or functions that are easier to understand, manage, and code.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development

Functional Decomposition Diagram

A tool used in systems design to break down the functionality of a system into smaller parts, making it easier to understand, develop, and maintain.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Systems Design

Functional Dependency

A relationship that exists when one attribute uniquely determines another attribute in a database schema, crucial for normalization.

You will find this term commonly used in Database Design

Functional Design

An approach to software design where the architecture is structured around functions and their interactions, often emphasizing modularity and reusability.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development

Functional Interface

In programming, particularly in Java, a functional interface is an interface that contains exactly one abstract method. This concept supports lambda expressions and method references, enabling cleaner and more concise code for representing single-method interfaces.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development

Functional Programming

A programming paradigm that treats computation as the evaluation of mathematical functions and avoids changing-state and mutable data.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, AI

Functional Requirement

A requirement that defines a specific behaviour or function of a system. For example, in software engineering, it refers to what the system should do, such as calculations, technical details, data manipulation and processing, and other specific functionality.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development

Functional Specification

A document that outlines the expected behavior of a system or software application, including features, operations, and functionality. It serves as a guide for developers and testers to understand what to build and how the system should perform.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development

Functional Testing

A type of software testing that validates the software system against the functional requirements/specifications. The purpose of functional tests is to test each function of the software application, by providing appropriate input and verifying the output against the Functional requirements.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Testing

Fundamental Networking

The basic principles and practices that form the foundation of computer networking. This includes understanding network topologies, protocols, IP addressing, routing, and switching, which are essential for designing, implementing, and managing networks.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking

Fuzz Testing

A software testing technique that involves providing invalid, unexpected, or random data inputs to a computer program. The purpose is to find security loopholes or bugs that might crash the program.

You will find this term commonly used in Security, Software Testing

Fuzz Testing (Fuzzing)

An automated software testing technique that involves providing invalid, unexpected, or random data as inputs to a computer program. The program is then monitored for crashes, failing code assertions, or potential memory leaks.

You will find this term commonly used in Security, Software Testing

Fuzz Testing Tool

Software designed to implement fuzz testing by automatically generating and sending a large number of random data inputs to a target program. The goal is to trigger an error, crash, or uncover vulnerabilities that can then be fixed.

You will find this term commonly used in Security, Software Testing

Fuzzification

The process of converting precise input values into fuzzy values based on predefined linguistic variables, commonly used in fuzzy logic systems.

You will find this term commonly used in AI, Control Systems

Fuzzing

An automated software testing technique that involves providing invalid, unexpected, or random data as input to a computer program. The program is then monitored for exceptions such as crashes, failing built-in code assertions, or potential memory leaks.

You will find this term commonly used in Security, Software Testing

Fuzzing as a Service (FaaS)

A cloud-based service that provides automated fuzz testing to identify vulnerabilities and bugs in software applications. By leveraging cloud resources, FaaS allows for scalable and extensive testing across various environments and configurations.

You will find this term commonly used in Security, Cloud Computing

Fuzzing Framework

A software library or set of tools designed to assist in the fuzz testing of applications and systems by generating random or semi-random data that is used as input to the systems being tested, in order to find bugs or security vulnerabilities.

You will find this term commonly used in Security, Software Testing

Fuzzing Seed

An initial value or set of values used by a fuzzing tool to generate test cases. A good fuzzing seed can increase the effectiveness of fuzz testing by ensuring a wide coverage of the input space, potentially uncovering more vulnerabilities or bugs.

You will find this term commonly used in Security, Software Testing

Fuzzing Suite

A collection of software tools and libraries designed for conducting fuzzing tests on applications, systems, or networks to discover vulnerabilities or bugs. Fuzzing suites automate the generation and injection of malformed or unexpected data.