| Agile | A project management approach where work is broken into small chunks and completed in short cycles (usually 2-4 weeks), allowing for frequent feedback and adjustments. |
| API (Application Programming Interface) | A set of rules and tools that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. |
| API key | A unique identifier that allows access to an API, acting like a password to authenticate and track API usage. |
| Assertion | A statement about expected behavior in the code or product that evaluates to either true or false when a test runs. |
| AsyncAPI | A specification format that defines event-driven APIs. Based on OpenAPI. |
| CLI (Command Line Interface) | A text-based way to interact with software by typing commands. |
| Code snippet (or code example) | A small section of reusable code that shows how to accomplish a task or implement a feature. In docs, code snippets serve as practical examples that users can copy, adapt, and integrate into their own applications. |
| Command | An instruction given to a computer through a terminal or command-line interface. In docs, commands show users specific text to type to perform tasks like installing software, running programs, or manipulating files. |
| Continuous Deployment | The practice of automatically deploying code changes to production after they pass all tests and quality checks. |
| Continuous Integration | The practice of frequently merging code changes back into a shared codebase, usually multiple times per day. Each merge automatically triggers tests to catch problems early. |
| Contract testing | A testing approach that verifies an API behaves exactly as its definition promises. Contract tests check that APIs accept the inputs they claim to accept and return the responses they claim to return, helping ensure that the API definition, the API implementation, and the API consumer’s code all remain accurate and trustworthy. |
| CSS selector | A pattern used in Cascading Style Sheets to select and style specific HTML elements. |
| cURL | A command-line tool used for making requests over a network, such as making requests to an API locally or over the internet. Written as curl on the command line. |
| Developer Operations | A practice that brings together software development and IT operations teams to automate and streamline the process of building, testing, and releasing software. |
| Docstring | A description included directly within code that describes how a function, class, or module works. Docstrings provide information about parameters, return values, and usage examples, and are often accessible through code editors or automatically generated API reference documentation. |
| DOM (Document Object Model) | A programming interface for HTML and XML documents that defines the structure of a document. |
| Environment variables | Values stored outside your application or code that can be accessed during testing or execution. In documentation testing, environment variables often store configuration details like API keys, server URLs, or test account credentials, allowing tests to run in different environments without code changes. |
| Fixed delay | A fixed amount of time to wait, regardless of context or application readiness. Fixed delays can lead to tests running longer than necessary, so timeouts are the generally preferred way to delay the execution of a task. |
| GraphQL | A query language and runtime for APIs that lets clients request exactly the data they need. |
| GUI (Graphical User Interface) | The visual way users interact with software through elements like buttons, menus, and windows. |
| Jupyter notebook | An interactive computing environment that lets you create and share documents containing live code, equations, visualizations, and narrative text. |
| Mocking | A testing technique that replaces real components with simulated versions that mimic their behavior. Mocking helps isolate tests by simulating external services, databases, or APIs, allowing tests to run reliably without depending on systems that might be unavailable or change unpredictably. |
| OpenAPI | A specification format that defines REST API endpoints, parameters, and responses. |
| Rate limit | A restriction on how many times an API can be called within a specific time period, used to prevent overuse, prevent abuse, and ensure fair access to resources. |
| Responsive content | Content that automatically adjusts to various screen sizes and device orientations. |
| REST API | An architectural style for creating web services that use HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) to operate on resources identified by URLs. |
| SDK (Software Development Kit) | A collection of tools, code samples, and documentation that help developers build software that works with a specific platform or programming language. |
| Technical writing | Communicating complex information in understandable terms, often through documentation. |
| Test (or test case) | A specific scenario that the code or product is expected to handle correctly. A test contains one or more assertions. |
| Test suite | A collection of tests that are designed to validate a particular aspect of the code or product. |
| Timeout | The maximum time a test will wait for an event to occur, such as an element appearing, before failing. |
| Visual regression testing | The process of comparing screenshots taken over time to detect any unintended visual changes. |
| Workflow testing | A testing approach that validates multi-step API sequences. Workflow tests verify that a series of API calls work together as defined, confirming that users can successfully complete real-world tasks by following documented procedures. |
| XPath expression | A query language used for selecting nodes from an XML or HTML document. |
