Open Learning · Beginners, 16+ and adults
Technology dictionary
New words should not stop you learning. Find out what the letters stand for, read a simple explanation and see how the idea works in everyday life.
49 words found
RSSReally Simple SyndicationInternet
In plain English
A standard way for a website to share updates that a feed reader can collect automatically. Syndication means sharing content or updates with other services.
An everyday example
A news website publishes an RSS feed so GABBii can collect its latest headlines and links. RSS does not automatically provide every full article or access to paid stories.
Try it in your own words
Explain how an RSS feed saves someone from repeatedly checking several news websites.
SDKSoftware Development KitBuilding apps
In plain English
A toolbox of ready-made code, tools and instructions that helps a developer build a feature.
An everyday example
A camera SDK can help an app take and process a photograph.
Try it in your own words
Explain what you might find in a developer's toolbox.
SaaSSoftware as a ServiceCloud & business
In plain English
Software provided as an online service. You use the provider's app rather than running the whole system yourself.
An everyday example
An online document editor you sign into in a browser is a common example.
Try it in your own words
Describe an online service you use. What does its provider look after?
APIApplication Programming InterfaceBuilding apps
In plain English
A set of agreed rules that lets one program ask another program for information or an action.
An everyday example
A weather app asks a weather service for today's forecast through its API.
Try it in your own words
Explain how an app could ask a weather service for a forecast.
AIArtificial IntelligenceAI
In plain English
Computer systems designed to carry out tasks such as recognising patterns, generating text or making predictions. They can make mistakes.
An everyday example
An AI tutor can suggest an explanation, which you still need to check.
Try it in your own words
Give one useful AI task and one reason to check its answer.
ITInformation TechnologyDevices & basics
In plain English
The use and management of computers, software, networks and digital information.
An everyday example
A school's IT team helps keep its computers and network working.
Try it in your own words
Name two jobs an IT team might do.
ICTInformation and Communication TechnologyDevices & basics
In plain English
Digital technology used to handle information and help people communicate.
An everyday example
Email, video calls and shared online documents are examples of ICT.
Try it in your own words
Describe how technology helps a class communicate.
SoftwarePrograms and applicationsDevices & basics
In plain English
Instructions that tell a computer or device what to do.
An everyday example
A browser and a photo editor are software.
Try it in your own words
Name some software and describe what it does.
HardwarePhysical computer equipmentDevices & basics
In plain English
The parts of a computer or device that you can physically touch.
An everyday example
A keyboard, screen and processor are hardware.
Try it in your own words
Explain the difference between hardware and software.
AppApplicationDevices & basics
In plain English
A program made to help someone do a task.
An everyday example
A calculator app helps you work with numbers.
Try it in your own words
Describe a task an app can help you do.
OSOperating SystemDevices & basics
In plain English
The main software that manages a device and lets other apps run.
An everyday example
Android, Windows and iOS are operating systems.
Try it in your own words
Explain why a device needs an operating system.
BrowserA web browserInternet
In plain English
An app used to open websites and web applications.
An everyday example
You type a website address into a browser's address bar.
Try it in your own words
Explain the difference between a browser and a website.
URLUniform Resource LocatorInternet
In plain English
An address that points to a resource, such as a webpage or image.
An everyday example
https://gabbii.app is a website address.
Try it in your own words
Describe what you type in a browser to open a website.
HTMLHyperText Markup LanguageBuilding apps
In plain English
A language that describes the structure and meaning of content on a webpage.
An everyday example
HTML can mark a piece of text as a heading or a paragraph.
Try it in your own words
Explain what HTML contributes to a webpage.
CSSCascading Style SheetsBuilding apps
In plain English
Rules that control how a webpage looks.
An everyday example
CSS can change a heading's colour, size and spacing.
Try it in your own words
Describe a visual change you could make with CSS.
JavaScriptA programming languageBuilding apps
In plain English
A language commonly used to make webpages interactive and to build other software.
An everyday example
JavaScript can respond when someone presses a button.
Try it in your own words
Give an example of an interactive website action.
UIUser InterfaceBuilding apps
In plain English
The controls and information a person uses to interact with software.
An everyday example
Buttons, menus and text boxes are parts of an app's UI.
Try it in your own words
Choose a familiar app and describe part of its interface.
UXUser ExperienceBuilding apps
In plain English
What using a product is like, including how clear, useful and easy it feels.
An everyday example
A form with clear instructions and helpful errors can give a better experience.
Try it in your own words
Describe something that makes an app easier to use.
FrontendThe user-facing part of an appBuilding apps
In plain English
The part of a website or app that presents information and handles the user's interactions.
An everyday example
A shopping page's search box and product cards are part of its frontend.
Try it in your own words
Describe one thing a user sees and interacts with.
BackendThe service behind an appBuilding apps
In plain English
The part that handles work such as checking permissions, processing requests and accessing stored data.
An everyday example
A backend checks whether a signed-in user can read a private record.
Try it in your own words
Explain why a private record needs a permission check.
DatabaseOrganised data storageBuilding apps
In plain English
A system for storing information so software can find and update it.
An everyday example
A school may store course names and enrolments in a database.
Try it in your own words
Suggest information a course database might store.
CloudComputing provided over a networkCloud & business
In plain English
Computing or storage delivered using someone else's managed computer systems, commonly over the internet.
An everyday example
A file saved to an online storage service is stored on computers operated by the provider.
Try it in your own words
Explain where an online file is actually stored.
ServerA system that provides a serviceInternet
In plain English
A computer or program that responds to requests from other computers or programs.
An everyday example
A web server sends a webpage to your browser.
Try it in your own words
Describe the request and response when a browser opens a page.
HostingRunning a website or serviceCloud & business
In plain English
Providing the computer systems and network connection needed to make a website or app available.
An everyday example
A hosting provider runs the systems that deliver a website.
Try it in your own words
Explain what a hosting provider supplies.
DeploymentReleasing a working versionCloud & business
In plain English
Putting a version of software into the environment where people will use or test it.
An everyday example
Publishing an updated website is a deployment.
Try it in your own words
Explain how writing a change differs from releasing it.
GitA version-control toolBuilding apps
In plain English
A tool that records changes to files so people can review work and return to earlier versions.
An everyday example
A developer can compare a new version with yesterday's code.
Try it in your own words
Describe why a record of code changes is useful.
RepositoryA project's stored files and historyBuilding apps
In plain English
A place where a project's files and, when using version control, their change history are kept.
An everyday example
A Git repository can contain an app's code and its development history.
Try it in your own words
Explain what someone might find in a code repository.
BugAn error in softwareBuilding apps
In plain English
A mistake or unexpected behaviour in a program.
An everyday example
A button that opens the wrong page has a bug.
Try it in your own words
Describe a software problem clearly enough for someone to investigate.
DebuggingFinding and fixing a software problemBuilding apps
In plain English
Investigating why software behaves incorrectly and correcting the cause.
An everyday example
A developer checks an error message to find why a button fails.
Try it in your own words
Explain one thing you would check when a button stops working.
JSONJavaScript Object NotationBuilding apps
In plain English
A text format used to organise and exchange data using names, values and lists.
An everyday example
An API might return weather data such as a town name and a temperature as JSON.
Try it in your own words
Explain why programs need an agreed data format.
MLMachine LearningAI
In plain English
A field of AI in which systems learn patterns from examples or data rather than receiving a separate rule for every case.
An everyday example
A model can learn patterns associated with unwanted email.
Try it in your own words
Describe the difference between an example and a prediction.
LLMLarge Language ModelAI
In plain English
An AI model trained on large amounts of data to recognise language patterns and generate text. Fluent answers can still be wrong.
An everyday example
A chat assistant may use an LLM to draft an explanation.
Try it in your own words
Explain why a confident-sounding AI answer still needs checking.
PromptInstructions or input given to AIAI
In plain English
The question, request or other input you give an AI system.
An everyday example
Explain SDK to a beginner using a toolbox example is a prompt.
Try it in your own words
Write a clear prompt that states the topic and the learner's experience.
RAGRetrieval-Augmented GenerationAI
In plain English
An approach that finds relevant information and gives it to an AI model to help it produce an answer. It does not guarantee accuracy.
An everyday example
A support assistant can look up relevant help pages before drafting a reply.
Try it in your own words
Explain why using a help page can improve an answer.
OAuthAn authorisation standardSecurity
In plain English
A way to let an app access specific parts of another account with the account owner's permission, without giving that app the owner's password.
An everyday example
You can approve an app's request to read a calendar through the calendar provider's sign-in page.
Try it in your own words
Explain what you should check before approving an app's access.
AuthenticationChecking who you areSecurity
In plain English
A process used to check an account holder's identity.
An everyday example
Signing in with a passkey is a form of authentication.
Try it in your own words
Explain what a sign-in process is checking.
AuthorisationChecking what you are allowed to doSecurity
In plain English
A permission check that decides which information or actions an account can access.
An everyday example
A pupil and a teacher can sign in but have different permissions.
Try it in your own words
Explain why signing in does not give someone every permission.
MFAMulti-Factor AuthenticationSecurity
In plain English
Signing in using more than one kind of proof, such as a password and an authenticator app.
An everyday example
A site may ask for your password and a time-limited code from your authenticator.
Try it in your own words
Explain why two different kinds of proof can help protect an account.
2FATwo-Factor AuthenticationSecurity
In plain English
Authentication using two different kinds of proof. It is a type of MFA.
An everyday example
A password plus approval on your registered security device can be two factors.
Try it in your own words
Explain why two passwords alone are not two different authentication factors.
EncryptionProtecting data with cryptographySecurity
In plain English
Transforming information so it cannot normally be read without the appropriate key.
An everyday example
A secure connection encrypts information travelling between your browser and a website.
Try it in your own words
Explain what encryption helps protect and why permissions still matter.
HTTPSHyperText Transfer Protocol SecureSecurity
In plain English
A way to exchange web information over an encrypted connection. It does not prove a website is trustworthy.
An everyday example
A fraudulent site can also use HTTPS, so you still need to check its address and request.
Try it in your own words
Explain why an encrypted connection does not make every website safe.
API keyA credential used by softwareSecurity
In plain English
A value used to identify a calling app or allow it to use a service. Some keys must be kept secret; their permissions depend on the service.
An everyday example
A backend may use a private API key to call a paid service.
Try it in your own words
Explain why a private API key should not be pasted into a public page.
IoTInternet of ThingsDevices & basics
In plain English
Physical devices that connect to networks to exchange data or carry out actions.
An everyday example
A connected light bulb or temperature sensor is an IoT device.
Try it in your own words
Name a connected device and explain what information or action it handles.
PairingConnecting devices with permissionDevices & basics
In plain English
Setting up a trusted connection between devices or between a device and an account.
An everyday example
You may put a new smart bulb into pairing mode before adding it to an app.
Try it in your own words
Explain how discovering a device differs from being allowed to control it.
Wi-FiA wireless networking nameInternet
In plain English
Technology that connects devices to a local wireless network. A Wi-Fi connection does not always include internet access.
An everyday example
A laptop can connect to a home router over Wi-Fi.
Try it in your own words
Explain why being connected to Wi-Fi may not mean the internet is working.
BluetoothShort-range wireless communicationDevices & basics
In plain English
Technology that allows nearby devices to exchange information over radio signals.
An everyday example
Wireless headphones can connect to a phone through Bluetooth.
Try it in your own words
Give an example of two nearby devices communicating.
DNSDomain Name SystemInternet
In plain English
A system that helps translate a website's domain name into network information used to reach it.
An everyday example
DNS helps a browser find the server associated with a website address.
Try it in your own words
Explain why website names need to be looked up.
CPUCentral Processing UnitDevices & basics
In plain English
A processor that carries out instructions and helps run a computer's programs.
An everyday example
The CPU performs many of the calculations needed by an app.
Try it in your own words
Explain what a processor does using an everyday task.
RAMRandom Access MemoryDevices & basics
In plain English
Fast working memory used by running programs. Its usual contents are lost when power is removed.
An everyday example
Open apps use RAM while you work.
Try it in your own words
Explain how working memory differs from long-term file storage.