30 Acronyms Every Web Developer Should Know

The web development industry is filled with all sorts of acronyms that we use every single day. It can be overwhelming for beginners, and even experienced developers sometimes struggle to keep up. Sure, we all know the more common acronyms like HTML, CSS, and HTTP, but what about the lesser-known or newer ones?

In this handy glossary, I’ve gathered 30 acronyms that you’ll frequently come across in today’s web development articles and discussions. So, let’s dive in and make sure you’re up-to-date with the latest industry lingo!

1. ARIA

Accessible Rich Internet Applications: It’s sometimes referred to as WAI-ARIA as well.

Hey there! Let’s talk about a couple of cool things that make the web a better place for everyone: web standards and some nifty technologies.

1. W3C Web Standards

Ever heard of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)? They are the geniuses behind web standards. These standards help ensure that websites are accessible to all users, especially those with disabilities who use assistive technologies like screen readers. Imagine being able to navigate and enjoy the web even if you can’t see it. That’s pretty amazing, right?

2. ACSS

Have you ever wondered how websites look so snazzy? One secret to their style is Atomic Cascading Style Sheets (ACSS). This cool CSS writing methodology was created by the folks at Yahoo. It uses small, reusable classes with simple names to make it super easy to style web pages. Want a button? Just add a class and bam, you’ve got one!

3. AMP

Now, here’s something awesome for your mobile experience. Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is a special standard designed by Google to make websites load lightning fast on mobile devices. No more waiting around for ages for a page to load. AMP makes sure you can browse the web on your phone without any delays.

When it comes to creating web pages, AMP puts some restrictions on how we can use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These restrictions are in place to improve performance. But don’t worry, AMP also provides us with components that we can use to load external resources and run scripts through the AMP runtime.

4. API

API, or Application Programming Interface, is a powerful tool for developers. It’s like a set of pre-written code features! These features, like properties, methods, and classes, are created by the publishers of the API. They help us follow best practices and write consistent code.

There are many web APIs to choose from. In fact, social media and technology giants like Facebook, Twitter, and Google have their own APIs that we can use.

5. BEM

BEM is short for Block, Element, Modifier. It’s a naming convention that helps us write CSS classes that are easy to read, consistent, and maintainable.

When I use the BEM methodology, I create classes for the entire project that follow the block__element–modifier syntax.

Here’s how it works:

– Blocks: These are the names we give to standalone entities like menus or buttons.

– Elements: These are the different parts or functionalities of the blocks. For example, a block called “success” or “alert” could have different elements associated with it.

– Modifiers: Modifiers change the style of blocks. We can use modifiers like “large” or “small” to customize the appearance of a block. For instance, a valid BEM class name could be “.button__alert–large”.

In addition to the BEM methodology, there’s also something called a Content Delivery Network (CDN). A CDN is a network of servers spread out in different locations. These servers store duplicate copies of our web content. This helps to make our website load faster and ensures that our users have a smooth experience.

CDNs, or Content Delivery Networks, are a clever way to improve the performance of delivering content to each user. By utilizing servers that are closer to the user’s location or less overloaded, CDNs can ensure faster delivery and reduce the chances of server downtime.

Now let’s talk about CMS, which stands for Content Management System. Think of it as a software that helps us publish, modify, and organize different types of digital content. Most CMSs are used for web publishing, and you might be familiar with popular ones like WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. The beauty of CMSs is that they separate content from presentation and functionality, making it possible for anyone to manage web content without needing coding knowledge.

If you’re thinking about opening an online store but don’t have a big budget, you might want to check out the top 10 open-source e-commerce shopping carts. These options can help you start your online business without breaking the bank.

Lastly, let me introduce you to CRUD. It stands for Create, Read, Update, and Delete, which are the four basic functions when working with databases. CRUD allows you to easily manage and manipulate data, whether it’s adding new information, retrieving existing data, updating or modifying it, or deleting unwanted records. It’s an essential concept in database management and can be applied in various scenarios.

So there you have it, a breakdown of some key terms and concepts that can help you navigate the world of content delivery, website management, e-commerce, and database operations. Happy exploring!

When it comes to managing databases, there are four essential functions that make up the foundation. These functions are commonly referred to as “CRUD,” which stands for Create, Read, Update, and Delete. Each of these actions plays a crucial role in working with persistent databases.

In the world of SQL, the four corresponding commands are INSERT (for Create), SELECT (for Read), UPDATE (for Update), and DELETE (for Delete). These commands allow you to perform various actions on the database, such as adding new data, retrieving existing information, updating records, and deleting unnecessary entries.

CRUD functions are instrumental in describing the typical life cycle of data on dynamic websites. From creation to retrieval, modification to deletion, these functions enable websites to effectively manage and manipulate their data.

Moving on, let’s talk about CSSOM, also known as the Cascading Style Sheets Object Model. CSSOM is a vital component that browsers use to ensure proper rendering of CSS styles on a web page. It provides a set of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that allow browsers to understand and apply CSS styles accurately.

The CSSOM represents all CSS styles, including selectors and their properties on a web page, as a map of nodes. It has a similar tree-like structure to DOM (Document Object Model), which you might be familiar with. However, the CSSOM and DOM are distinct data models, each serving a different purpose.

Lastly, we have the term CTA, which stands for Call-To-Action. You may have come across this term in the field of web design. A CTA is a marketing element that designers strategically incorporate into websites to prompt users to take specific actions. It can be a button, a link, or any other type of interactive element that encourages users to engage further with the website.

In conclusion, these terms and concepts offer insights into the inner workings of databases, web design, and the technologies that power the internet. Whether it’s managing data, applying CSS styles, or creating compelling CTAs, understanding these concepts is essential for anyone involved in the digital realm.

A CTA is a message that tells you to take action right away. In web design, CTAs are like fancy links that try to convince you to click on a button, banner, or ad.

Now, let’s talk about DOM. It stands for “Document Object Model,” and it’s how browsers use HTML and XML documents. The DOM shows the logical structure of a document by using a tree of nodes. Each node represents a different part of the document. You can create, change, or remove nodes to modify the document.

Next up is ECMAScript, also known as ES. It’s a set of rules for scripting languages like JavaScript, JScript, and ActionScript. These rules define how the languages work and what they can do.

Did you know that ECMAScript got its cool name from the European Computer Manufacturers Association? That’s the organization that standardized it. Pretty neat, right?

13. FOSS

So, let me tell you about this thing called Free and Open-Source Software, or FOSS for short. It’s software that’s both free and open-source. Free means that there are no restrictions on copyrights, and open-source means that anyone can access and modify the source code. How cool is that?

Oh, and sometimes people also call it FLOSS. And hey, you should check out GNU’s stance on the whole FOSS vs. FLOSS terminology thing. It’s an interesting read!

14. FTU

Alright, let’s talk about FTU, which stands for First Time Use. It’s simply the first time you use a software after installing it. Exciting, right? It’s like unwrapping a present and discovering all the cool things it can do. Good times!

When you first start using an app, there is an important step called the First Time User (FTU) experience. It has a big impact on how well you adopt the app and whether you will stick with it. The key to a successful FTU is user onboarding, which involves designing the process of getting users acquainted with the app and its features. During the FTU, we can show you how the app works and help you set important options like your time zone, language, preferences, and more.

15. GUI

GUI stands for Graphical User Interface. It’s a type of user interface that is different from command-driven interfaces. Command-driven interfaces require users to learn specific commands or codes, like MS-DOS. But with a GUI, even if you don’t have technical knowledge, you can still interact with the app. GUIs use graphical icons and visual cues to help you give commands to the app and provide input.

50 Free and Useful GUI Icon Sets for Web Designers

Icons are these tiny pictures on a website that help you move around and find things. They’re kind of like little maps that show you where to go. Pretty neat, huh? Let me tell you about a couple more things.

16. IDE

Integrated Development Environment: That’s just a fancy way of saying it’s a computer program that helps us with coding. It’s like having a magic toolbox that has everything we need to build and test our programs. It’s got stuff like a text editor, tools for building and testing code, a language interpreter, and even a tool to help us find mistakes. Some examples of IDEs are Xcode, Eclipse, and Visual Studio. They make coding a whole lot easier!

17. IIFE

Immediately Invoked Function Expression: This is a fancy phrase for a cool trick that programmers use in JavaScript. It creates a special area where the code can live and do its thing. It’s like putting your code in a little bubble. It’s a really handy design pattern that helps keep things organized and prevents any problems from popping up. It’s pretty clever, if you ask me!

An IIFE, or Immediately Invoked Function Expression, is a type of function that is executed right away after it’s defined. It comes in handy when you have code that only needs to run once, or when you want to create private variables and closures. You can also use IIFE for better organizing and managing your code.

Here’s how an IIFE looks:

(function() {

// your code goes here

})();

Now, let’s talk about ITCSS, which stands for Inverted Triangle Cascading Style Sheets. It’s a scalable CSS architecture that promotes the reuse of CSS code. ITCSS divides CSS properties into levels based on how specific and important they are. These levels are arranged in an inverted triangle shape, with the most specific and important properties at the bottom tip.

Lastly, let’s discuss JSON, which stands for JavaScript Object Notation. It’s a data format that can be used to exchange data between different programming languages. JSON is designed to be human-readable and easy to understand.

JSON is a powerful tool that can be used to store and organize data. It allows you to create objects, which are collections of information arranged in name-value pairs, as well as arrays, which are lists of values in a specific order. JSON’s syntax is similar to JavaScript, making it a popular choice for data storage in JavaScript-based applications.

Let’s move on to something called LAMP. LAMP is a web stack that is widely used to create dynamic websites. It stands for Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP/Python/Perl. Linux serves as the operating system, Apache acts as the web server, MySQL handles the database management, and PHP, Python, or Perl are used as scripting languages. If you’re using Windows, you can use WAMP, and if you’re on a Mac, you can use MAMP.

Lastly, let’s talk about LTR/RTL. These are acronyms that stand for Left To Right and Right To Left. They are commonly used in the field of internationalization, which involves adapting content and design to different languages and cultures.

LTR and RTL are properties of the language or country settings of a user interface. LTR stands for Left To Right, RTL stands for Right to Left. They indicate the text’s direction.

Most languages are LTR and interfaces are usually designed for them, but you can easily add RTL support to most content management systems (CMSs), such as WordPress, by using the rtl.css file.

22. MEAN

MongoDB, Express.js, Angular, Node.js: a JavaScript-only web stack for creating dynamic websites and web applications.

The MEAN stack is made up of the MongoDB NoSQL database, the Express.js web application framework, the Angular.js frontend framework, and the Node JavaScript runtime. It can be used on any operating system.

23. MVC

Model-View-Controller: Ah, let me tell you about this fancy thing called the Model-View-Controller, or MVC for short. It’s a special way that smart people use to organize their programs when they’re doing object-oriented programming.

So, here’s the deal: with the MVC pattern, you keep things nice and tidy by separating the data logic from the user interface. You group all the objects into three different groups: there are the Model Objects, which are in charge of handling the underlying data structure and all its tricky logic; then you’ve got the View Objects, who take care of how things look to you, the user; and finally, we have the Controller Objects, who are kind of like the middlemen. They help other objects communicate with each other and keep tasks organized.

24. OAuth

Open Authentication: Oh, and let me not forget to tell you about this cool thing called OAuth. It’s an open protocol that makes it possible to have secure authorization in a neat and uniform way. So, you can feel all safe and cozy when you’re giving authorization to do stuff.

When you log in to a website, you usually have to create an account and go through a registration process. But with OAuth, you can use third-party services like Facebook, Twitter, or Google to log in, bypassing the registration step.

25. OOP

Object-Oriented Programming, or OOP, is a different way of writing code compared to the usual step-by-step approach. Instead, we create models that mimic real-life situations. To do this, we use four main principles: abstraction, encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism. At the heart of OOP are objects, which store information and can perform actions.

26. REGEX

A regular expression, or regex, is like a special pattern we use to find specific combinations of characters in text.

Regex is a powerful tool that helps us find specific patterns of characters in text and verify user input. It’s used in popular programming languages like JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, Java, and more.

Now, let’s move on to REST. REST, which stands for Representational State Transfer, is a set of guidelines for transmitting data between a client and a server. By following these principles, we can create RESTful APIs for our web applications.

And finally, we have SCM, which stands for Source Control Management. SCM is a system that helps us manage multiple versions of documents, applications, code, or any other type of information. It’s also known as version or revision control management.

When it comes to tracking changes and preventing information loss, SCM is here to help. Two of the most popular SCM systems are Git and SVN.

29. SMACSS

SMACSS, or Scalable and Modular Architecture for Cascading Style Sheets, is a CSS writing methodology that makes CSS code more modular, readable, and maintainable.

SMACSS breaks down style rules into five types: base, layout, module, state, and theme. Each type is identified with a different selector prefix.

30. WYSIWYG

WYSIWYG, short for What You See Is What You Get, is a type of content editor that lets you edit text, images, and other content without writing any markup.

With a WYSIWYG editor, you can see exactly what the end result will look like as you create your content. The post editor interface in WordPress and most blogging platforms are great examples of WYSIWYG systems.