When talking to a developer, often it sounds like we even talk in code. For someone just getting into the web industry or looking to get a site designed, developer jargon can be overwhelming at times. Developer jargon sometimes have other dialects, but here are some useful terms often thrown around in our office.
Front-end:
Front-end consists of all components of the website that a user can see and interact with.
Used in a sentence: “This solution was mainly accomplished through the front-end.”
Back-end:
Back-end consists of all components of the website hidden from view. Back-end code is the core computational logic (sorry more jargon) of a website.
Used in a sentence: “Your back-end code is beautiful!”
Client-side:
Referring to scripts which run on the user’s web browser (ie. Chrome), instead of the web server. Client-side code is generally much quicker, but takes much longer to load.
Used in a sentence: “The changing of the colors, depending on page, is client-side.”
Server-side:
Server-side refers to scripts running on the web server, instead of the web browser. Server-side code generally is much slower to load because the pages reload under each action.
Used in a sentence: “The corresponding data pulled, depending on date, is server-side. ”
Version Control System (VCS):
VCS is software that helps developers track changes in the code. You’ve probably never heard of GIT, which is a popular type of version control, but you’ll hear us say it repeatedly.
Used in a sentence: “Make sure to pull down the latest on GIT before making updates.”
Database (DB):
DB is a program designed to let the website store data in them. The DB organizes and controls data so that the developer can store and retrieve information.
Used in a sentence: “The members data are stored in the DB.”
File Transfer Protocol (FTP):
FTP is used to transfer files between computers on a network.
Used in a sentence: “Make sure to upload that file through FTP.”
Domain Name Service (DNS):
The DNS is what converts a website’s IP address into domain names. When the user types a websites domain name into their browser, the DNS servers translates the domain name into the website’s IP address.
Used in a sentence: “Before launch, make sure to update the DNS.”
Content Management System (CMS):
CMS is a software application that is used to manage and create digital content. Some popular CMSes that you may have heard of are WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla.
Used in a sentence: “I am looking to find the perfect CMS and I’ve heard great things about WordPress.”
Host:
A web host is space you rent out for your website. It doesn’t come with a website, but it reserves a space for your future website to live. Some popular hosts you may have heard of are Dreamhost and GoDaddy.
Used in a sentence: “My website is down and my host is on it.”
Put it all together and you might hear us say: “We have a great idea but it requires heavy back-end CMS customization and server-side dev so make sure you’re using GIT and not FTP so we don’t overwrite each others’ work.”
