AI agent
Software that uses a model, instructions and tools to pursue a goal through multiple actions.
Updated 13 August 2026
Technology Glossary
Showing 57 terms
API key
A credential used to identify or authorise an application making API requests.
Application programming interface (API)
A defined interface that lets software systems request data or actions from one another.
Artificial intelligence (AI)
Software techniques that perform tasks associated with human intelligence, including prediction, language understanding and decision support.
Authentication
Verifying the identity of a user, device or service.
Authorisation
Determining what an authenticated identity is allowed to access or do.
Average order value (AOV)
The average revenue generated by each completed order during a period.
Blockchain
A replicated ledger whose ordered records are cryptographically linked and agreed through a network protocol.
Churn
The rate at which customers or recurring revenue are lost during a period.
Cloud computing
On-demand computing resources delivered over a network and billed by capacity or use.
Consensus mechanism
The process a distributed network uses to agree on valid transactions and ledger state.
Container
A portable package containing an application and the dependencies it needs to run.
Content delivery network (CDN)
A distributed network that serves content from locations closer to users.
Continuous delivery (CD)
Keeping software releasable through automated build, test and deployment processes.
Continuous integration (CI)
Automatically building and testing code whenever changes are proposed or merged.
Conversion rate
The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action, such as a purchase.
Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
The average sales and marketing cost required to acquire one customer.
Ecommerce
The buying and selling of products or services through digital channels.
Encryption
Transforming readable data into ciphertext that requires an authorised key to decode.
Endpoint
A specific API address that accepts a defined request and returns a response.
Fine-tuning
Additional training that adapts a pretrained model to a narrower task, style or dataset.
Gas fee
A fee paid for computation or transaction processing on certain blockchain networks.
Generative AI
AI that creates new content such as text, images, audio, video or code.
GraphQL
A query language and API runtime that lets clients request specific fields from a typed schema.
Headless commerce
An architecture that separates the customer interface from the commerce backend.
Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
Cloud-hosted servers, networking and storage managed through software interfaces.
Kubernetes
An open-source system for deploying, scaling and managing containerised applications.
Large language model (LLM)
A model trained on large text datasets to understand and generate language.
Least privilege
Giving users and systems only the access required for their current tasks.
Lifetime value (LTV)
An estimate of the value generated by a customer over the relationship.
Machine learning (ML)
A branch of AI in which models learn patterns from data to make predictions or decisions.
Malware
Software designed to disrupt, damage, spy on or gain unauthorised access to systems.
Marketplace
A platform where multiple independent sellers offer products or services to buyers.
Minimum viable product (MVP)
The smallest release that can test a meaningful product assumption with real users.
Monthly recurring revenue (MRR)
Predictable subscription revenue normalised to a monthly amount.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Identity verification that requires two or more independent factors.
Multi-tenant
An architecture where one application serves multiple customers while keeping their data separated.
Payment gateway
A service that securely passes payment details and requests between merchants and payment processors.
Penetration testing
An authorised simulation of attacks used to find and validate security weaknesses.
Phishing
Fraudulent communication designed to trick someone into revealing information or taking an unsafe action.
Platform as a service (PaaS)
A managed environment for deploying applications without operating underlying servers.
Private key
A secret cryptographic value used to prove control and authorise transactions; it must never be shared.
Prompt
The instruction and context supplied to a generative AI model.
Ransomware
Malware that blocks access to data or systems and demands payment.
Rate limit
A restriction on how many requests a client can make within a period.
Regression testing
Testing that confirms existing behaviour still works after a change.
REST API
An HTTP-based API style organised around resources and standard request methods.
Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)
A method that retrieves relevant source material and gives it to a model before it answers.
Serverless
A model where code runs on demand while the cloud provider manages servers and scaling.
Smart contract
Program code deployed to a blockchain that executes according to defined rules.
Software as a service (SaaS)
Software delivered online, commonly through a subscription rather than a local installation.
Technical debt
Future work created when a limited implementation is chosen over a more maintainable solution.
Token
A digital unit represented and transferred on a blockchain under a defined contract or protocol.
User acceptance testing (UAT)
Validation by business users that a system meets agreed needs before release.
Version control
A system that records file changes and supports collaboration, comparison and recovery.
Wallet
Software or hardware that manages keys used to control blockchain accounts.
Webhook
An HTTP notification sent automatically when an event occurs in another system.
Technology terms explained in plain language
Search concise definitions covering artificial intelligence, SaaS, blockchain, APIs, cloud computing, ecommerce, software development and cybersecurity.