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Software Development Glossary for Information Security Professionals

A practical glossary that defines key software development terms to help information security professionals collaborate more effectively with engineering teams.

Written by

Miranda Mckinnon

Published on

December 5, 2024

Cybersecurity and IT decisions often involve technical terminology that can feel unfamiliar to business leaders. While you don’t need to write code or manage infrastructure yourself, understanding foundational technology terms can help you ask better questions, evaluate risk more effectively, and make informed decisions about your organization’s security posture. Whether you're managing a project, working with developers, or evaluating software solutions for your organization, having a clear grasp of common terminology in this field helps you to participate more confidently in technology and security decision-making.

Acceptance Testing: Final verification that software fulfills all business requirements and is ready for deployment

Adaptive Maintenance: Updates applied to software so it continues functioning correctly in changing environments, like new operating systems or hardware

Agile Software Development: A flexible development approach emphasizing incremental improvements, frequent feedback, and fast delivery

Algorithm: A precise set of instructions a computer follows to solve a problem or perform a task

Alpha Testing: Initial testing conducted internally to identify major issues before releasing software to external users

API (Application Programming Interface): A set of rules that allows different software applications to communicate and share functionality

Backend: The server-side part of software that handles logic, data storage, and overall application performance

Beta Testing: Software testing by selected external users to gather feedback before public release

Bottom-Up Design: Building small components first, then combining them into larger, complete systems

Bug: A flaw in software that causes it to behave unexpectedly or incorrectly

Code Refactoring: Improving code structure, readability, or efficiency without changing its behavior

Compiler: Software that translates human-readable code into machine-executable instructions

Continuous Integration (CI): Regularly merging code changes and testing them to detect issues early

Corrective Maintenance: Fixing defects discovered after software has been released

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): Code that defines the visual style and layout of web pages

Data Abstraction: Presenting only essential data and hiding unnecessary implementation details

Data Modeling: Organizing and defining how data is structured and related

Data Structures: Efficient ways to store and organize data for processing

Debugging: The process of identifying, analyzing, and fixing errors in software

Dependencies: Relationships where one software component relies on another to function

Deployment: Launching software to be used after testing and debugging are complete

End User: The person who ultimately uses the software

Event-Driven Language: A programming language designed to react automatically when a specific action occurs, such as a user clicking a button or data being received from another system

Event-Driven System: Software that responds in real time to actions or changes, such as login attempts, user activity, or system alerts

Executable Code: Code that a computer can run directly

Framework: A reusable set of tools and conventions that streamline software development

Frontend: The part of software that users see and interact with, such as buttons, forms, dashboards, and menus

Full-Stack Developer: A developer skilled in both frontend and backend software development

Functional Programming Language: A programming language that builds software by combining small, reusable functions and avoids changing data once it has been created

General-Purpose Language: A programming language suitable for many types of software development

Git: A system for tracking changes in code and managing collaborative development

Hardware: Physical components of a computer system

High-Level Language: A programming language designed to be readable and understandable by humans

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language): The standard language for creating Web page structure and content

Human-Computer Interface: The ways in which users interact with software and computers

IDE (Integrated Development Environment): Software that provides tools for writing, testing, and debugging code

Independent Test Group: External testers who evaluate software quality objectively

Intermediate Code: Partially compiled code that requires further processing before execution

ISO Standards: International guidelines that ensure quality and consistency in software processes

Iterative Development: A method of developing software through repeated cycles of design, testing, and refinement

JavaScript: A widely used programming language for adding interactivity to Web pages

Kanban: A visual system for managing tasks and workflow to improve efficiency

Linear Search: A simple method for finding an item by checking each element sequentially

Machine Code: Low-level instructions that a computer executes directly

Machine Learning: Techniques that enable computers to learn patterns from data and make decisions

Maintenance: Ongoing updates and fixes to keep software functional and up to date

Markup Language: A system for annotating text to define its structure or formatting, such as HTML or XML

Methodology: A structured approach for planning and executing software development

Metric: A measurement used to assess software performance or quality

Normal Operation: Software functioning as intended under standard conditions

Object: A self-contained unit combining data and behavior in object-oriented programming

Object-Oriented Programming: A programming paradigm organized around objects and their interactions

Open Source: Software with publicly available source code that allows for modification and distribution

Operating System: Software that manages computer hardware and provides services for applications

Performance Testing: Evaluating software speed, responsiveness, and stability under various conditions

Plugin: A modular add-on that extends software functionality

Programmer: A person who writes and maintains software code

Programming Language: A set of rules and syntax for writing software instructions

Project Manager: Someone who oversees planning, scheduling, and execution of software projects

Prototype: An early model of a system used for testing and feedback

Pull Request: A submission to integrate new code into a shared repository

Quality Assurance (QA): Systematic checks to ensure that software meets specified standards

Regression Testing: Verifying that recent changes do not break existing features

Relational Database: A database where data is organized into interrelated tables

Repository: A central storage location for code and related resources

Runtime: The period during which a program is executing

SaaS (Software as a Service): Cloud-based software accessed via the Internet rather than installed locally

Scripting Language: A programming language used for automating tasks or small programs

Scrum: An Agile framework for managing iterative software development

SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle): The full sequence of stages from planning to software retirement

Software: Programs that perform specific tasks or solve problems

Software Engineering: Applying systematic approaches to design, develop, and maintain reliable software

Source Code: Human-readable instructions that define how software works

Syntax: The rules defining the structure and arrangement of code

Testing: The process of checking software behavior’s compliance with requirements

Test Plan: A detailed strategy for executing and evaluating tests

Top-Down Design: Breaking a system into smaller, manageable components for development

Unit Testing: Testing individual components of software to verify that they work correctly

Usability: How easy and efficient software is for users to operate

User Experience (UX): Overall feelings and satisfaction of users while interacting with software

User Interface (UI): Visual and interactive elements through which users engage with software

Version Control: Tracking, managing, and recording changes to software code over time

Waterfall Model: A sequential software development process in which each stage is completed before the next begins

Web App: Software accessed through a Web browser instead of being installed locally

Website: A collection of interconnected Web pages available online

XML (Extensible Markup Language): A flexible format for storing and transporting structured data

YAML: A human-readable data format used for configuration files and data exchange

Z Object Publishing Environment: An open-source system for managing and publishing content online

Software Development Glossary for Information Security Professionals

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