Glossary

Tech terms, explained the way a business owner needs them.

Short, honest definitions with a real Indian business example for each — so you can follow any conversation with a developer, vendor or consultant.

A

Admin PanelBusiness Software: An admin panel is the private, login-protected part of a website or app where authorised staff add and edit content, manage orders and users, and view reports, without touching any code.
Agile SprintProcess: An agile sprint is a short, fixed-length period, usually one to four weeks, in which a development team builds a small, agreed set of features and shows the working result at the end.
API (Application Programming Interface)Data & Cloud: An API is a defined way for one piece of software to ask another for data or an action, such as a shop's website asking a payment service to charge a card. It lets separate systems work together without sharing their inner workings.

B

Backup & Disaster RecoverySecurity & Compliance: Backup is the practice of keeping copies of your data in a separate place. Disaster recovery is the plan that uses those copies to get your systems and business running again after a failure, theft, fire or cyber attack.
Barcode & QR Code SystemsBusiness Software: A barcode and QR code system puts a machine-readable code on each item, bill or record and links it to a database, so a scan from a scanner or phone camera replaces typing and the errors that come with it.

C

CDN (Content Delivery Network)Web: A content delivery network, or CDN, is a group of servers spread across many locations that keep copies of your website's images, scripts and pages, so each visitor receives them from a nearby server instead of one distant origin.
ChatbotMarketing & SEO: A chatbot is software that holds a text conversation with customers on a website, WhatsApp or app, answering common questions or collecting details. Some follow fixed menus, others use AI to reply in free language.
CI/CD (Continuous Integration & Delivery)Process: CI/CD is an automated pipeline that builds and tests every change to a software project, then publishes it to a test or live environment. It makes releases routine and catches bugs early.
Cloud HostingData & Cloud: Cloud hosting means running your website or software on a pool of rented servers managed by a provider, instead of on one machine you own. Capacity can be raised or lowered as demand changes, and you usually pay for what you use.
CMS (Content Management System)Web: A CMS (Content Management System) is the admin area of a website where non-technical staff can add or edit pages, photos and blog posts through a browser, without touching code or calling a developer.
Core Web VitalsMarketing & SEO: Core Web Vitals are three measurements Google uses to judge page experience: how quickly the main content loads, how fast the page responds to taps, and how stable the layout stays while loading.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management)Business Software: A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system is software that records every enquiry, conversation, quotation and follow-up with your customers, so the history belongs to the business and not to individual salespeople.
Cross-platform AppMobile: A cross-platform app is built once and delivered for both Android and iPhone, using a framework such as Flutter or React Native. It saves effort when you need both platforms, at the price of some limits on deep phone features.
Custom SoftwareBusiness Software: Custom software is an application built specifically for one business, around its own processes, rules and reports, instead of a ready-made product designed for many different customers.

D

DashboardBusiness Software: A dashboard is a single screen that gathers a business's most important figures, such as sales, stock levels and pending payments, into charts and tables that update from live data.
Data EncryptionSecurity & Compliance: Data encryption scrambles information into unreadable code that can be turned back only with the right key. It protects data while it travels across the internet and while it sits stored on servers, phones and backups.
Data MigrationData & Cloud: Data migration is the process of moving records such as customers, stock, balances and transactions from an old system, spreadsheet or database into a new one, cleaning and checking them on the way so that nothing is lost or wrongly counted.
DNS (Domain Name System)Web: The Domain Name System, or DNS, is the internet's address book. It translates a web address such as yourbusiness.in into the server that holds your website, and it also tells the world where your email should be delivered.
Domain NameWeb: A domain name is your business's address on the internet, such as yourbusiness.in, which customers type or click to reach your website and which also forms your email addresses. You rent it from a registrar, usually one year at a time.
DPDP Act (Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023)Security & Compliance: The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, or DPDP Act, is India's law on handling the personal data of individuals. It expects businesses to collect data with clear consent, use it only for the stated purpose and keep it safe.
Dynamic WebsiteWeb: A dynamic website builds pages on demand from a database and server-side code, so content can differ by visitor, search or time. Logins, filters, carts, bookings and admin panels all depend on this.

E

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)Business Software: ERP is a single software system that connects sales, purchasing, stock, accounts and staff records, so every department works from the same up-to-date data instead of separate spreadsheets.

F

FirebaseData & Cloud: Firebase is Google's ready-made backend platform for apps and websites. It supplies login, a cloud database, file storage, push notifications and hosting, so a small team can launch without building servers first.

G

Google Business ProfileMarketing & SEO: Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows your business on Google Search and Google Maps, with its address, phone number, opening hours, photos and customer reviews. For local businesses it is often the first thing a nearby customer sees.
Google Play ConsoleMobile: Google Play Console is the web dashboard where developers upload an Android app, fill in its store listing, run test releases, publish to the Play Store and then watch installs, crashes and reviews.
GPS TrackingMobile: GPS tracking uses satellite positioning to record where a vehicle, device or person is, and sends that position over mobile data to a map. Businesses use it to follow deliveries, verify visits and answer "where is my order?" calls.
GST Invoicing SoftwarePayments & Finance: GST invoicing software creates invoices that meet India's Goods and Services Tax rules, with GSTIN, HSN or SAC codes, correct CGST, SGST or IGST splits and sequential numbering, and keeps the data ready for your GST returns.

H

Headless CMSWeb: A headless CMS stores and manages your content but does not control how it is displayed; it hands the content to any website, app or screen through an API, so one edit can update every channel.
Hospital Management System (HMS)Business Software: A hospital management system (HMS) is software that runs a hospital's daily operations: patient registration, appointments, OPD and IPD, bed management, lab, pharmacy, billing and insurance, around one record per patient.
HRMS (Human Resource Management System)Business Software: An HRMS (Human Resource Management System) is software that holds employee records and runs HR routines such as attendance, leave, onboarding, appraisals and the hand-off to payroll, replacing registers and WhatsApp approvals.

I

Inventory ManagementBusiness Software: Inventory management is the practice of recording every item you buy, hold, move and sell, so you always know what stock you have, where it is and what it is worth. Software replaces the register and the guesswork.
IoT (Internet of Things)Data & Cloud: IoT, the Internet of Things, means physical equipment fitted with sensors that send readings over the internet to software. You can watch temperatures, levels or machines from a phone and get alerts when something goes wrong.

J

Jetpack ComposeMobile: Jetpack Compose is Google's current toolkit for building Android screens in Kotlin code. You describe what the screen should show for the current data, and the app redraws itself whenever that data changes.

K

KotlinMobile: Kotlin is the programming language Google prefers for building Android apps. It is concise, catches many common mistakes before the app ever runs, and works alongside older Java code.

L

Legacy SystemBusiness Software: A legacy system is older software or hardware that a business still depends on, even though it is outdated, hard to change or no longer supported by its maker. It often works, but it limits what the business can do next.
LMS (Learning Management System)Business Software: An LMS (Learning Management System) is a platform where learners log in to take courses, watch lessons, attempt tests and earn certificates, while trainers manage batches, content, payments and progress reports.
Local SEOMarketing & SEO: Local SEO is the work of making your business appear in Google Maps and in 'near me' searches for the area you serve, mainly through a complete Google Business Profile, genuine reviews and consistent contact details.

M

Multi-tenant SoftwareBusiness Software: Multi-tenant software is a design in which one running copy of an application serves many separate customers, called tenants, while keeping each tenant's data private from the others.
MVP (Minimum Viable Product)Process: An MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is the smallest working version of a product that real users can try, built to test whether the core idea is worth developing further.

N

Native AppMobile: A native app is built for one phone platform in that platform's own language and tools, which for Android means Kotlin. It gets full access to the camera, Bluetooth, GPS and background services, and usually feels the fastest.
Next.jsWeb: Next.js is a framework, built on React, for making fast websites and web applications. It can prepare pages in advance so they load quickly and are easy for Google to read.

O

OCR (Optical Character Recognition)Data & Cloud: OCR, or optical character recognition, is technology that reads printed or handwritten text from a photo or scan and turns it into editable data. Businesses use it to capture bills, forms and documents without retyping.
Off-the-shelf SoftwareBusiness Software: Off-the-shelf software is a ready-made product, such as Tally or Zoho Books, that is sold to many businesses with the same features instead of being built for one customer.
Offline-first AppsMobile: An offline-first app treats the phone's own storage as the main working copy and syncs with the server whenever a connection is available. Staff can keep working in a basement, a village or a lift without losing any entries.
OTP VerificationSecurity & Compliance: OTP verification confirms that a person controls a phone number or email by sending a short code that works only once and expires quickly. Businesses use it for sign-ups, logins, deliveries and payment approvals.

P

Payment GatewayPayments & Finance: A payment gateway is the service that securely passes a customer's payment details from your website or app to the bank, returns the result, and settles the money into your account. It handles cards, UPI, net banking and wallets.
Payroll SoftwareBusiness Software: Payroll software calculates each employee's monthly pay from attendance, earnings and deductions such as PF, ESI and TDS, then produces payslips, bank transfer files and the figures you need for statutory returns.
PCI DSSSecurity & Compliance: PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is the rulebook set by the card networks for any business that stores, processes or transmits card details. A hosted payment gateway keeps most of that burden away from a small business.
POS System (Point of Sale)Business Software: A POS (point of sale) system is the billing software and counter hardware where a sale is completed: it prices the items, takes the payment, prints the bill and updates stock and day-end totals.
PostgreSQLData & Cloud: PostgreSQL is a free, open-source relational database known for reliability and exact record-keeping. Businesses use it as the store behind billing, ERP, inventory and web applications.
Push NotificationsMobile: Push notifications are short messages that an app's server sends to a user's phone, appearing on the lock screen even when the app is closed. On Android they are delivered through Firebase Cloud Messaging.
PWA (Progressive Web App)Web: A PWA (Progressive Web App) is a website built so it can be installed on a phone's home screen, open full-screen like an app, load quickly on weak networks and, in many browsers, send notifications.

Q

QA Testing (Quality Assurance)Process: QA (Quality Assurance) testing is the planned checking of software for faults, wrong results and usability problems before release, so that defects are found by testers and not by your customers.

R

RazorpayPayments & Finance: Razorpay is a widely used Indian payment gateway that lets a website, app or shared link accept UPI, cards, net banking and wallets, then settles the money into your bank account.
Recurring Billing (Subscriptions)Payments & Finance: Recurring billing means charging a customer automatically at fixed intervals, such as monthly or yearly, after they approve the arrangement once. In India it runs on UPI AutoPay, bank e-mandates or cards set up for repeat payments.
Responsive DesignWeb: Responsive design is a way of building a website so the same pages rearrange themselves to fit any screen, from a small phone to a wide monitor, without pinching, zooming or sideways scrolling.
REST APIData & Cloud: A REST API is a common style of API in which software reads and changes your records by sending ordinary web requests to addresses such as /orders/1042, with replies usually in JSON. It is how apps, websites and billing systems share one set of data.
Role-based Access Control (RBAC)Security & Compliance: Role-based access control, or RBAC, gives each user a role such as cashier, manager or accountant, and each role carries a fixed set of permissions. People then see and do only what their job requires, nothing more.

S

SaaS (Software as a Service)Business Software: SaaS (Software as a Service) is software you use over the internet on a subscription, while the vendor hosts, updates and secures it for you.
School ERPBusiness Software: A school ERP is one software system that runs a school's office work: admissions, student records, fees, attendance, exams, transport, hostel, library and communication with parents, usually with a parent app.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)Marketing & SEO: SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the work of making a website easy for search engines to understand and useful to the people searching, so it appears higher in unpaid Google results for relevant searches.
SLA (Service Level Agreement)Process: An SLA (Service Level Agreement) is a written commitment from a provider that states how quickly problems will be answered and fixed, how much uptime is promised and what happens if those targets are missed.
Software MaintenanceProcess: Software maintenance is the ongoing work of fixing faults, applying security and platform updates, keeping integrations working and making small improvements after a system has gone live.
Source Code OwnershipProcess: Source code ownership is the legal right to hold, modify and reuse the original code of your software. It passes to you only if your contract with the developer says so in writing.
SSL Certificate (HTTPS)Security & Compliance: An SSL certificate is a digital credential that proves a website's identity and switches on HTTPS, so data between the visitor's browser and your server is encrypted. The modern protocol is technically called TLS, but the name SSL stuck.
Static WebsiteWeb: A static website is made of ready-built pages that are sent to every visitor exactly as stored, with no database or server-side code running when a page is opened. It is fast, secure and cheap to host.
Structured Data (Schema Markup)Marketing & SEO: Structured data is a block of code on a web page that labels its contents, such as a price, opening hours or a review, using the shared vocabulary at schema.org, so search engines can read them without guessing.

T

Technical DebtProcess: Technical debt is the future cost of shortcuts taken while building software, such as rushed code, skipped tests or outdated components. Like a loan, it lets you move faster today and charges interest later in slower changes and more bugs.
Two-factor Authentication (2FA)Security & Compliance: Two-factor authentication, or 2FA, asks a user for two different proofs of identity when logging in, usually a password plus a code from their phone or an authenticator app. A stolen password alone is then not enough to get in.
TypeScriptWeb: TypeScript is JavaScript with added rules about what kind of data goes where. The tools check those rules while the code is written, so many mistakes are caught before the software reaches a customer.

U

UAT (User Acceptance Testing)Process: User acceptance testing (UAT) is the final round of testing in which the people who will actually use a system try it on real tasks, then confirm that it does what was agreed before it goes live.
UI/UX DesignProcess: UI (user interface) design is how software looks, with its layout, colours and controls. UX (user experience) design is how it works and feels in use, including how easily people finish their tasks.
UPI PaymentsPayments & Finance: UPI, the Unified Payments Interface, is India's instant bank-to-bank payment system run by NPCI. Customers pay by scanning a QR code or approving a request in any UPI app, and the money moves straight between bank accounts.
UptimeData & Cloud: Uptime is the proportion of time a website, app or system is available and working for its users, usually quoted as a percentage over a month or a year.

V

VPS (Virtual Private Server)Data & Cloud: A virtual private server, or VPS, is a reserved portion of a physical server that behaves like your own machine, with guaranteed memory and processing power and full control over what runs on it. You are also responsible for keeping it updated and secure.

W

WebhookData & Cloud: A webhook is an automatic message that one system sends to another the instant an event happens, such as a payment succeeding or a form being submitted. It saves the receiving system from repeatedly asking whether anything has changed.
WhatsApp Business APIMarketing & SEO: The WhatsApp Business API, now called the WhatsApp Business Platform, lets software send and receive WhatsApp messages automatically. Unlike the free Business app, it connects to your systems and uses Meta-approved message templates.
White-label SoftwareBusiness Software: White-label software is a finished product made by one company that another company rebrands with its own name, logo and domain and sells as if it were its own.
WireframeProcess: A wireframe is a simple, low-detail sketch of a website or app screen that shows where content, buttons and navigation will sit, used to agree structure and flow before visual design or coding begins.
Workflow AutomationBusiness Software: Workflow automation is the use of software to run the repeated steps of a business process, such as reminders, approvals, notifications and invoice generation, by following rules instead of manual effort.

X

XML SitemapMarketing & SEO: An XML sitemap is a file, usually at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml, that lists the pages you want search engines to find. It helps Google discover new and changed pages faster, though it does not make them rank higher.

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