Glossary

What you rarely dared to ask...

Term Explanation

$cms

In many programming languages the $ sign is used to indicate a variable. In this sense we are using $cms on this site to indicate "replace this with your favorite CMS".

2-Factor Authentication

In contrast to a login with username and password, this authentication requires a second, physically indepentent factor, e. g. using a USB key. Short: 2FA or TFA (for Two-Factor Authentication).

Accessibility

Here: form and content of web sites and applications accessible for people with disabilities as well as for any other. Defined by → WCAG

ACID

Short for: Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) - a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee validity even if the transaction is aborted

Active Directory

Directory service of Microsoft Windows Server.

Add-on

Also called extension, module or plug-in: expansion of the → core‘s functionality.

AdSense

Google Ads

AngularJS

JavaScript framework suitable for → REST API usage.

Apache Solr

High-end server-side search and retrieval engine.

App

Short for → Application, usually meaning applications running on smartphones or table computers.

Application

here: (task-oriented) application software

Asset Management

Media Asset Management

ATAG

Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines issued by → W3C. One example for an authoring tool is a content management system.

Back-end

Administrational interface of a CMS (as opposed to ↔ front-end).

Big Data

A field that treats ways to analyze, systematically extract information from, or otherwise deal with data sets that are too large, too complex or too volatile to be dealt with manually or by traditional data-processing application software.

Camp, Barcamp, Unconference

Conference in which all participants are potential speakers.

CAS

Central Authentication Service - a → single sign-on protocol for the web.

Channel

Here: the channel to which content is published, e. g. a website, a social media platform, a smartphone app or a conference display. Related: cross-channel, multi-channel = publishing on several channels (simultaneously), omnichannel = publishing on all channels (simultaneously).

Command line interface

Short: CLI. Software tool based on text input and output, typically used in a terminal window.

Wikipedia

Cluster

A computer cluster is a set of loosely or tightly connected computers that work together so that, in many respects, they can be viewed as a single system.

Code sprint

Short iteration cycle in a software project that uses agile development (in CMS communities mainly: appointment for a certain date to collaboratively work on code, often at diverse locations).

Community

Here: group of individuals who actively use, customize, and develop a CMS.

Composer

Tool for dependency management in PHP for automatted installing/updating.

Con

Short for Conference

Continuous Integration

The Practice of merging all developer working copies to a share mainline, aiming at software quality enhancement. Web-specific: frequent deployment of small features.

Contrib

Contributions of any kind code-wise speaking normally third-party components in contrast to → Core.

Core

Basic function set of a CMS without extensions.

Creative Commons

Organization publishing standard licenses allowing to share creative works free of charge while reserving certain rights. Attention: CC licenses should not be mistaken for „public domain“.

Cross-channel

Channel

Cross-Site Scripting

Injecting scripts (by exploiting a security vulnerability) into an otherwise trustable context in order to start an attack.

CSS pre-processor

Such a pre-processor generates CSS files based on variables.

Decoupled

Headless

Deployment

Installing the software development state on the web server.

Diff

Short for difference, meaning any tool or its results revealing the differences between to versions of text or code.

Digital Asset Management

Media Asset Management

Doctrine

PHP Framework that offers a popular database abstraction layer for easier access to diverse database types.

Dynamics

Object-oriented → ERP system by Microsoft

Elasticsearch

A server-side search enginge similar to → Apache Solr.

ERP system

Software for the integrated management of main business processes (Enterprise Resource Planning).

Exploit

Code taking advantage of a vulnerability in software.

Extension

Add-on

Framework

A frame of functionality for custom applications.

Front-end

Output of a website (↔ back-end)

GNU Project

Not an abbreviation, it's the name of a project dedicated to free software and mass collaboration. Details about the GNU-Project on Wikipedia

Google Ads

Online advertising platform by Google, previously Google AdWords. The program allowing the ads to be served is called AdSense.

Google Analytics

Web site statistics service by Google.

Headless

Delivering content without styling in formats like XML or JSON. This allows the content to be used outside of the webiste context, e. g. in mobile apps.

Hierarchical database

Structured storage: Stores any kind of objects and structure dependencies contrary to a ↔ relational database that is only able to map these relations to fixed tables. Similar to desktop filesystems.

In-Place Editing

A means to edit content right at the position of its front-end output.

JavaScript

Programming language typically running on the user‘s computer to allow interactions without reloading a page.

Kerberos

Computer-network authentication protocol that works on the basis of tickets to allow nodes communicating over a non-secure network to prove their identity to one another in a secure manner.

Landing Page

Introductory web page, campaign or target-group oriented, channeling users to content of the main website; less frequent meaning: a page users are redirected to after certain actions (e. g. login).

LDAP

Network protocol for querying and modifying information from distributed directory services

Machine Learning

Algorithm-based „learning“ processes based on already defined classifications or actions. „Artificial intelligence“ (AI) in the vernacular.

Mailing List

A means of (community) communication: an e-mail sent to a mailing list will be received by all subscribers of this list.

Matomo

Open source web site statistics software, formerly known as Piwik.

Media Asset Management

Media assets = image, video, audio files. Asset management in the CMS context is understood as a solution for administering such (reusable) files, e. g. by adding meta data.

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

In agile development (here) a software or website with just enough features to satisfy early customers.

Model View Controller (MVC)

Software architectural pattern that decouples the internal representation of information from the → user interface.

Module

Add-on

Multi-channel

Channel

Multilanguage

The capability of a CMS to display contents in multiple languages.

Multisite

The capability of a CMS to manage and to publish different web sites from the same installation.

Object-oriented programming

A programming paradigm based on the concept of „objects“, which can contain data, in the form of fields (attributes or properties), and code, in the form of procedures (often known as methods)

Omnichannel

Channel

Open ID

Decentralized authentication system for web-based services.

Patch

A piece of code designed for debugging or for adding functionality.

Performance

Here: measure for efficiency of a CMS (determined by e. g. working memory, resources consumption by processor, hard disk access which influence the maximum number of pages delivered per time unit).

PHP Framework Interop Group (PHP-FIG)

Group of PHP framework representatives, designing common standards PSR in order to enhance the code exchange between these frameworks.

Piwik

Matomo

Plug-in

Add-on

proprietary

In contrast to open source here: non-free software.

Python

Programming language

ReactJS

JavaScript framework suitable for → REST API usage.

Related Content

Different parts of content that refer to each other.

Relational database

cf. ↔ hierarchical database

Repository

Service for storing source code, complete with version control.

Responsive Design

Specific technical implementation of layouts/designs that allow a web site to adjust to the capabilities or requirements of different output devices (computers/tablets/smart phones etc.)

REST API

A software architectural style that defines a set of constraints to be used for creating Web services.

Rollback

Returning to a previous state, e. g. to a version before an update.

Ruby

Programming language

Ruby on Rails

Open source PHP framework based on Ruby following the → Model View Controller schema.

SAML

XML-based standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data.

SAP

In the CMS context: the enterprise resource planning software (→ ERP) of this name.

Semantic Web

A standard for common structured data formats defined by the → W3C.

Shibboleth

Decentralized authentication system for web-based services.

Single sign-on

The concept of a single user accout to log on to several applications simultaneously.

Skin

Template

Social Media

Collective name of online platforms designed for general social communication via → user-generated content. Prominent examples are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube.

Sprint

Code sprint

Stack

A set of software subsystems or components.

Stylesheet Language

Markup language for files that define the appearance in the browser („stationery“), typically CSS. Related: XLS, SASS, Less.

Symfony

Open source PHP framework following the → Model View Controller schema.

Taxonomy

A technique or model to classify contents based on specific criteria (e. g. multiple tagging).

Teaser

A short introductory text (often with an image) that invites users to continue reading.

Template

A set of elements that make up the layout of a website.

Theme

Template

Traffic

Data volume, usually measured in visitors per period of time, in number of clicks or in downloaded data volume itself.

Two-Factor Authentication

2-Factor Authentication

User Groups

Here: get-togethers/continuous communication of users of a CMS – both personally and/or via bulletin boards/→ mailing lists.

User Interface

Interface enabling humans to interact with the computer/application

User-generated Content

Content which is created by the (end-)users of a website.

VUE JS

JavaScript framework suitable for → REST API usage.

W3C

A consortium defining the standards for the world wide web.

WAI

Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), defining conformity levels: WAI-AA: medium-level conformity - the highest level that a CMS can achieve without actual content; WAI-AAA: highest conformity level - can only by achieved by auditing the actual website content.

WCAG

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines by the → W3C. See also → ATAG.

Widgets

Elements with specific functionality that can be easily integrated into web pages.

WYSIWYG

What you see is what you get. Editing principle that immediately visualizes the result.

Zero Day Exploit

An → exploit against which no → patch is available yet (zero days given for fixing).