Get Started / Getting started3 min read
A plain-language glossary
Understand the words used in the handbook, with a concrete meaning and the next place to look.
↗ View Markdown The web request#
| Term | Plain-language meaning | Next step |
| Browser/client | The visitor's application that asks for content and displays it | Foundations |
| Server | The running process that receives a request and answers it | First route |
| Request/response | The question sent over HTTP and the answer returned | Request lifecycle |
| Route | A mapping from HTTP method/path to a handler | Routing |
| Handler | A function that processes a request and returns a result | First route |
| Middleware | Code wrapping downstream request work | Middleware |
| JSON | A text representation of data, not a rendered UI | Input lesson |
Building and running code#
| Term | Plain-language meaning | Next step |
| Terminal | A window for running commands in a chosen directory | First route |
| npm script | A named command declared in package.json | Solution finder |
| Package/library | Installable code with a public import contract | Package directory |
| Framework | A coordinator for an application's structure/lifecycle | Mental model |
| TypeScript/typecheck | Development-time checking of declared code contracts | TypeScript |
| Build/compile | Transform source into runnable output | Release lesson |
| SSR | Render HTML on the server (or during a static build) | Frontend SSR |
| Static export | Prebuilt files served without running application handlers | Deployment |
| Generation | One prepared set of runtime resources, replaceable on reload | Service lifecycle |
Data and security#
| Term | Plain-language meaning | Next step |
| Validation | Check the actual shape/size/allowed values of incoming data | Input lesson |
| Authentication | Establish who a caller is | Auth/security setup |
| Authorization | Decide whether that caller may perform this action on this resource | Input lesson |
| Tenant | A separately owned account/organization boundary in a shared application | Tenant data |
| Database | Persistent record storage managed through an explicit connector | Database setup |
| Cache | Reusable temporary results with a deliberate owner/key/lifetime | Cache setup |
| Environment variable | A process setting supplied outside source, often including server secrets | Environment |
Language and the handbook#
| Term | Plain-language meaning | Next step |
| i18n | Prepare code/messages to support languages (internationalization) | Language lesson |
| l10n | Supply translations and local display conventions (localization) | Site languages |
| Locale | A language/region convention tag such as fr-CA | zlocale |
| Domain/catalog | A feature's message namespace and its translation data | Module authoring |
| RTL | Right-to-left writing direction; layout needs deliberate handling too | Site languages |
| PWA/offline reading | Optional installation/cache support for these static docs | Handbook controls |
| Local progress | Learning data in this browser, with no account/sync/certification | Course |