What does
that stand for?

Commanding officer

The officer responsible for a military unit.

In contextThe CO addressed the unit before the ceremony.

Military occupational specialty

A military job specialty; terminology varies by service.

In contextA soldier lists an MOS when describing military job experience.

Permanent change of station

A move to a new permanent military duty location.

In contextThe family prepares for a PCS to another installation.

Physical training

Exercise and fitness training in a military setting.

In contextThe unit meets for morning PT.

Post exchange

A retail store on a military installation for authorized customers.

In contextAn eligible shopper buys supplies at the PX.

Executive officer

An officer serving as second in command to a commanding officer.

In contextThe XO coordinates the unit schedule.

Application programming interface

A set of rules that lets one piece of software request data or actions from another.

In contextA weather app uses an API to request the forecast.

Certificate authority

An entity that issues digital certificates and vouches for the identities named in them.

In contextA browser checks whether a website certificate was issued by a trusted CA.

Chartered accountant

A professional accounting designation used by qualified members of bodies such as ICAS.

In contextA UK accountant may list CA after their name to show ICAS membership.

Continuous delivery

A development practice that keeps tested changes ready to release, with a production release decision still available to the team.

In contextA pipeline packages each tested build so an engineer can release it when needed.

Continuous deployment

A development practice that automatically releases changes to production after they pass the required pipeline checks.

In contextEvery change that passes the tests goes live automatically.

Content delivery network

A distributed network of servers that can serve copies of content from locations closer to users.

In contextA CDN serves product photos from a nearby location so the shop loads faster.

Continuous integration

A practice of frequently merging changes into a shared codebase and checking those changes automatically.

In contextA CI job runs the test suite when an engineer pushes a change.

Cross-origin resource sharing

A browser mechanism that uses HTTP headers to let servers permit web pages from other origins to read a response.

In contextAn API lets the browser share its responses with the company’s separate dashboard site.

Customer relationship management

The practices and software a company uses to manage customer relationships and keep track of sales and support interactions.

In contextA sales rep checks the CRM before following up with a prospect.

Content security policy

A policy a website sends to a browser to restrict actions such as loading or executing scripts.

In contextA CSP can allow scripts from the site itself and block unexpected third-party scripts.

Cascading Style Sheets

A stylesheet language for describing how web content looks and lays out.

In contextCSS sets a page’s colors and stacks its cards on narrow screens.

Domain Name System

The distributed naming system that looks up information about domain names, including their IP addresses.

In contextDNS helps your browser find the server for a domain you typed.

Document Object Model

A tree-shaped representation of a document that programs can read and change.

In contextA script updates the DOM to show new search results.

Extract, transform, load

A data pipeline that collects information, changes its format or quality, and then writes it into a destination.

In contextAn ETL job cleans order records before loading them into a warehouse.

Hypertext Markup Language

The markup language that describes the structure and meaning of web content.

In contextHTML identifies a heading, a link, and a search field on a page.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol

The protocol clients and servers use to exchange requests and responses on the web.

In contextA browser sends an HTTP request for a page and receives a response.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure

HTTP communication carried over a TLS connection to protect data in transit and authenticate the server.

In contextAn HTTPS connection protects the form data sent to a website.

Infrastructure as a service

A cloud service model that rents computing resources such as virtual machines, storage, and networking.

In contextA team rents virtual servers and manages the software installed on them.

JavaScript Object Notation

A text format that represents data using values such as objects, arrays, strings, and numbers.

In contextAn API returns a list of order IDs as JSON.

Key performance indicator

A metric chosen to track progress or performance against an important goal.

In contextA support team tracks median first response time as a KPI.

Multi-factor authentication

A sign-in method that asks for proof from two or more distinct kinds of authentication factors.

In contextYou sign in with a password and prove you have a security key.

Minimum viable product

An early version of a product with enough functionality to test a key assumption with real users.

In contextA team starts with one booking flow to see whether customers will use it.

Objectives and key results

A goal-setting framework that pairs an objective with measurable results that show progress toward it.

In contextA team aims to improve onboarding and measures whether more users finish setup.

Platform as a service

A cloud model in which a provider manages the underlying infrastructure and gives teams a platform for deploying applications.

In contextA developer deploys a web app while the provider manages the servers.

Personally identifiable information

Information that identifies a person or can be combined with other information to identify them.

In contextA database export with names and government ID numbers contains PII.

Representational state transfer

An architectural style that applies constraints such as a uniform interface and stateless requests to distributed systems.

In contextA REST-style service exposes order resources through predictable URLs and HTTP methods.

Software as a service

A cloud model in which customers use an application that the provider runs and maintains.

In contextA team uses a hosted email app without operating its mail servers.

Software development kit

A bundle of developer resources for building applications for a specific platform or service.

In contextA mobile SDK includes libraries and sample code for adding payments.

Structured Query Language

A language for querying and managing data in relational databases.

In contextA SQL query totals last month’s orders by region.

Secure Shell

A protocol for secure remote login and other network services over an insecure connection.

In contextAn administrator uses SSH to open a terminal session on a server.

Single sign-on

A sign-in arrangement that lets a person authenticate once and access multiple connected applications.

In contextSigning in to your company account gives you access to email and the wiki.

Scalable Vector Graphics

An XML-based format for describing graphics that can scale cleanly to different display sizes.

In contextAn SVG logo stays sharp when it is enlarged.

Transmission Control Protocol

A transport protocol that gives applications a reliable, ordered stream of bytes between endpoints.

In contextA file transfer over TCP can recover from lost packets.

Transport Layer Security

A protocol that protects data in transit and can authenticate the parties communicating.

In contextHTTPS uses TLS to encrypt a browser’s connection to a website.

User acceptance testing

Testing where intended users verify that a system meets their needs before it is accepted or released.

In contextStaff run their usual workflows in a trial environment before a migration.

User Datagram Protocol

A transport protocol that sends independent messages without built-in guarantees of delivery or order.

In contextA live voice call can use UDP so it can keep playing when a packet goes missing.

Uniform Resource Identifier

A structured identifier for a resource, such as a page, document, or named object.

In contextA URL for a page is one kind of URI.

Uniform Resource Locator

An address that identifies a resource by how or where it can be accessed.

In contextPaste the page’s URL into your browser to open it.

Virtual private network

A logical private network built over another network, commonly using protected tunnels.

In contextA remote employee uses a company VPN to reach internal systems.

Extensible Markup Language

A text markup language for structuring information with custom elements and attributes.

In contextTwo systems exchange invoice records using an agreed XML format.