Documentation: Definition of Terms
This section summarises the terms used throughout this page.
Audit logs
Audit logs are records of events, actions, or transactions within a system, application, or network. They provide a chronological trail of activities, helping organizations monitor user activity, maintain security, and comply with regulations. Audit logs typically include details such as user ID, action performed, timestamp, and any affected resources. They can be used for identifying suspicious behavior, troubleshooting issues, analyzing trends, and assisting in forensic investigations when security incidents occur.
BPEL
BPEL (Business Process Execution Language) is a programming language designed for composing and coordinating web services. It provides a standard way to describe business processes and the interactions between the various services that make up those processes. BPEL is XML-based and can be used with a variety of programming languages and platforms. It is often used in enterprise application integration and service-oriented architecture (SOA) projects.
While BPEL has been useful for orchestrating business processes in web services environments, it has certain drawbacks:
- Complexity: BPEL can be difficult to learn and use due to its XML-based syntax and the numerous constructs it provides for defining complex process flows. This may result in a steep learning curve for developers who are new to BPEL.
- Limited human interaction support: BPEL was primarily designed for system-to-system interaction and lacks built-in support for human tasks and interactions, which are often crucial in business processes. Although some extensions have been proposed to address this limitation, they may not be widely supported across different BPM platforms.
- Limited support for non-XML data: BPEL is tightly coupled with XML data structures, which can be a drawback when dealing with non-XML data formats. While it's possible to transform other data formats to XML, this can add extra complexity and processing overhead.
- Vendor lock-in: Although BPEL is a standard, its implementation can vary between different BPM platforms and vendors, potentially leading to compatibility issues and vendor lock-in.
- Lack of support for modern web service standards: BPEL was designed for SOAP-based web services, which have been largely replaced by RESTful web services in recent years. While it's possible to use BPEL with RESTful services, it may require additional effort and customizations.
- Declining popularity and adoption: With the rise of alternative technologies and paradigms, such as microservices and event-driven architectures, BPEL has seen a decline in popularity and adoption. Many organizations are moving towards newer, more flexible solutions for orchestrating their business processes.
Citizen Developer
A "citizen developer" is someone who, without a formal background in software development, creates applications to solve business problems using low-code or no-code platforms. These platforms allow them to build software through intuitive, graphical interfaces instead of traditional coding, leveraging their understanding of business needs. Citizen developers typically work within the guidelines set by their organization's IT department, aiming to speed up innovation and address specific operational challenges efficiently.
Containerization
Containerization in software development refers to the process of packaging an application along with its dependencies, libraries, and configuration files into a single, lightweight, and portable unit called a container. Containers are isolated from each other and the host system, ensuring consistent behavior across different environments. Containerization simplifies deployment, scaling, and management of applications, making it easier to develop, test, and run applications on various platforms. Popular containerization tools include Docker and Kubernetes.
Continuous Delivery (CD)
Continuous Delivery (CD) is a software development methodology that ensures the codebase is always in a deployable state. Following Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery automates the delivery of code to various environments ( staging, production, etc.) through predefined pipelines. This practice allows teams to release new changes to customers quickly and safely, often with the push of a button. CD minimizes the deployment risk, reduces the release process's complexity, and enables faster feedback loops with end-users.
Continuous Integration (CI)
Continuous Integration (CI) is a software development practice where developers frequently merge their code changes into a central repository, preferably multiple times a day. Each merge is automatically verified by building the project and running automated tests. This process aims to detect integration errors as quickly as possible, facilitating smoother code integration, reducing the time it takes to find and fix bugs, and improving software quality.
CRUD
CRUD is an abbreviation that stands for Create, Read, Update and Delete.
CSS
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a stylesheet language used for controlling the appearance and formatting of HTML elements on a webpage. It allows developers to separate the content (HTML) from the presentation (CSS), making it easier to maintain and design websites. CSS defines how elements should be displayed, including colors, fonts, sizes, spacing, and positioning. By applying CSS rules to HTML elements, developers can create consistent and visually appealing web designs across multiple pages and devices.
Docker
Docker is an open-source platform that enables the creation, deployment and execution of applications in containers. Containers are lightweight, standalone and executable software packages that contain all the components needed to run an application, including code, runtime, system tools and libraries.
Document databases
Document databases are a type of NoSQL database that store data in a semi-structured format, such as JSON or BSON. They are designed to handle hierarchical or complex data structures and provide flexibility in terms of schema design. Document databases allow you to store, query, and update documents that can contain various fields, nested structures, and data types. They are well-suited for applications like content management systems, catalogs, and user profiles. Examples of document databases include MongoDB and Couchbase.
EC2
EC2 stands for Elastic Compute Cloud and is a web service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that allows users to rent virtual computers on which to run their own computer applications.
Entity
An entity, in the context of data and software systems, is a representation of a real-world object or concept with a distinct and independent existence. It is a fundamental component of data models, where it serves as the basis for structuring and storing data. An entity typically has a set of attributes or properties which define its characteristics, and it may also have relationships with other entities.
In database design, for instance, an entity is used to represent a table, where the entity corresponds to the table, and the attributes represent the columns within the table. An entity can represent a tangible object like a "Person" or " Product" or an abstract concept like an "Order" or "Appointment".
The purpose of an entity is to provide a systematic and organized way of representing data in a structured form, allowing for efficient storage, retrieval, and manipulation of data in relation to the real-world scenario it models.
Event
An event in a workflow engine is a specific occurrence or action that triggers the execution of a process or a specific action within a process, it can be external or internal to the system and it is used to control the flow of tasks and information within the process.
Event-driven architecture
Event-driven architecture (EDA) is a software design pattern that revolves around the production, detection, and reaction to events. In EDA, events are messages or signals that indicate a change in the system's state or an occurrence. Components within the architecture, such as microservices or modules, communicate asynchronously by emitting, listening for, and responding to events. This decouples the components, allowing them to evolve independently and promoting scalability, flexibility, and adaptability. EDA is widely used in real-time applications, IoT systems, and distributed systems.
Failover
Failover refers to the process of switching to a backup or secondary system when the primary system fails. The goal of is to minimize disruption and downtime by quickly switching to a working system.
FTP
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a standard network protocol used for transferring files between hosts over a TCP-based network. It provides a client-server architecture where a client can connect to a server to download or upload files. FTP supports various modes of operation, including active and passive modes, and can be used with a variety of authentication methods, such as username/password and SSH keys. FTP is widely used for transferring files over the internet and is supported by various operating systems and platforms.
GDPR
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation of the European Union (EU) that came into effect on May 25, 2018. It replaces the 1995 EU Data Protection Directive. The GDPR strengthens EU data protection laws and gives EU citizens more control over their personal data. It applies to any company that processes the personal data of EU citizens, regardless of where the company is located. Under GDPR, individuals have certain rights in relation to their personal data, including the right to access, correct, and delete their personal data, as well as the right to object to or restrict the processing of their data. Companies are also required to appoint a data protection officer (DPO) and to notify the relevant authorities of certain types of data breaches.
Grafana
Grafana is an open-source data visualization and monitoring platform that allows you to query, visualize and alert on metrics and logs from various data sources. It provides a web-based interface for creating and managing dashboards and panels, which can be used to display real-time data and metrics in a variety of formats such as graphs, tables and gauges.
GraphQL
GraphQL is a query language for APIs and a runtime for executing those queries by using a type system you define for your data. It's known for enabling clients to request exactly the data they need, not more, not less, and it allows APIs to evolve without versioning.
GraphQL queries return predictable results, making it easier for developers to integrate APIs into their applications. It's a powerful tool for developing flexible, efficient, and scalable APIs.
Graylog
Graylog is an open-source log management platform that allows you to collect, index and analyze log data from a variety of sources. It provides a centralized system for storing and searching through log data, making it easier to troubleshoot and monitor the health of your systems.
Groovy
Groovy is a dynamic, object-oriented programming language that runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). It was created in 2003 to provide a more agile and expressive alternative to Java while maintaining Java's strengths and compatibility. Groovy code can seamlessly integrate with Java code, making it a popular choice for developers working with Java projects. Groovy features a more concise syntax, powerful scripting capabilities, and various productivity enhancements, such as built-in support for XML and JSON manipulation, closures, and metaprogramming. It is widely used in web development, testing, and automation tasks.
Handlebars
Handlebars is a logic-less templating engine for JavaScript that simplifies the process of binding data to HTML templates. It uses a mix of regular HTML and Handlebars expressions as placeholders that will be replaced with actual data when the template is rendered. Handlebars has built-in support for helpers, which are functions that can be used to perform various operations or transformations on the data. Templates can be precompiled to improve runtime performance. Handlebars promotes the separation of concerns by keeping the templates free from complex logic.
HTML
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is the standard markup language used to create and design websites and webpages. It consists of a series of elements or tags, which are used to structure content and define the layout of a webpage. HTML elements include headings, paragraphs, lists, images, links, and more. Web browsers read and interpret HTML code to display the content and formatting to users. HTML is the backbone of the web and is used alongside CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and JavaScript to create interactive, visually appealing websites.
HTTP
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is a protocol used for transmitting data over the internet. It is the foundation of the World Wide Web and it is used for communication between web clients and servers.
HTTP is a stateless protocol, meaning that the server does not maintain any information about the client between requests. However, cookies and other mechanisms can be used to maintain state.
HTTP is supported by all web browsers and servers and it is the foundation for the World Wide Web, it is also the foundation for many other Internet protocols and services, such as email and file transfer.
HTTPS
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is a secure version of HTTP, the protocol used for transmitting data over the internet. HTTPS encrypts data exchanged between a user's browser and a website, ensuring that the communication is secure and confidential. This encryption is achieved using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or TLS (Transport Layer Security) certificates, which help protect sensitive information such as login credentials, personal data, or financial details. HTTPS is commonly used for online transactions, secure logins, and any website where privacy and data security are crucial.
IMAP
IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol. It is an email retrieval protocol used by email clients to access and manage email messages on a mail server. Unlike POP (Post Office Protocol), which downloads messages to the local device and removes them from the server, IMAP allows users to view and manipulate messages on the server, and synchronize changes across multiple devices. This makes it a popular choice for accessing email on multiple devices.
Lead
A lead is an individual or organization that has shown interest in a company's products or services and has the potential to become a customer. Leads are typically generated through marketing efforts, such as online advertising, social media, email campaigns, or trade shows. These potential customers have provided some form of contact information, such as an email address or phone number, which the company can use to nurture the relationship, provide more information and ultimately convert the lead into a paying customer.
Linux
Linux is a free and open-source operating system that was first created by Linus Torvalds in 1991. It's based on the Unix operating system and is known for its robustness, flexibility, and security features. Linux is widely used in many environments, from personal desktops and mobile devices to servers and supercomputers, and it's the foundation for many distributions, including Ubuntu, Fedora, and Debian.
Java
Java is a high-level, object-oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems (now owned by Oracle) in the 1990s. It is designed for platform independence, meaning that Java code can run on any device or operating system with a compatible Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Java is widely used for web development, desktop applications, mobile app development (Android), and enterprise systems. Its versatility, readability, and large developer community make it a popular choice for many software development projects.
JavaScript
JavaScript is a high-level, versatile programming language primarily used for enhancing web pages with interactive and dynamic content. Initially developed by Netscape Communications in the 1990s, JavaScript allows developers to create animations, handle user input, manage browser events, and manipulate the Document Object Model (DOM) of a web page. While traditionally used for front-end web development, JavaScript has expanded to back-end development with the introduction of platforms like Node.js. Its popularity, ease of use, and extensive library ecosystem make JavaScript an essential tool for modern web development.
JMS
JMS (Java Message Service) is a Java API that allows applications to create, send, receive and read messages. It is a messaging standard that defines a way for Java-based applications to create, send, receive and read messages in a loosely coupled, reliable and asynchronous way.
JMS provides a common interface for different messaging systems, allowing applications to send and receive messages without having to be tightly coupled to a specific messaging system. It defines a set of standard APIs for sending and receiving messages and it also defines a set of standard message formats.
JSON
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight, text-based data format used for exchanging data between clients and servers, as well as between different parts of an application. JSON is language-independent, although it originally stems from the JavaScript language. Today, JSON is supported by many programming languages, including Python, Java, Ruby, PHP, and many more.
JSON data is organized in key-value pairs, similar to JavaScript objects or Python dictionaries. This allows for a simple and efficient representation of data structures such as arrays, objects, and basic data types like numbers, strings, and booleans. JSON is easily readable by both humans and machines, and due to its simplicity and effectiveness, it has become one of the most popular data formats for data exchange on the web.
Kafka
Apache Kafka is an open-source, distributed and fault-tolerant streaming platform that allows for the handling of real-time data feeds. It is designed for high-throughput and low-latency data streaming and can handle millions of events per second.
LDAP
LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is a protocol used for accessing and maintaining directory information over a network. It is often used for centralized authentication and authorization services in enterprise environments, and provides a hierarchical structure for storing and organizing data. LDAP is based on a client-server model, where the client sends requests to the server to retrieve or update directory information. LDAP is commonly used for managing user accounts, email addresses, and other directory-related information in organizations.
Open Source
Open-source refers to a type of software whose source code is made freely available for anyone to use, modify and distribute. The philosophy behind open-source software is that by allowing others to view and modify the source code, the software can be improved and debugged more quickly and efficiently than if it were closed off to outside contributions.
PDF (Portable Document Format) is a file format used for presenting and exchanging documents in a fixed-layout format. PDF documents can contain text, images, graphics, and other multimedia elements, and can be viewed on virtually any device with a PDF viewer installed. PDF files can be created from various sources, including word processing and desktop publishing software. PDF is commonly used for sharing documents over the internet and is widely supported by different platforms and devices.
Python
Python is a high-level programming language known for its simplicity, versatility, and extensive standard library. It is widely used in web development, data analysis, and artificial intelligence. Python's ease of learning and platform independence have contributed to its popularity among developers. With a strong community and rich ecosystem, Python remains a reliable and effective choice for various applications.
Load Balancing
oad balancing is a technique used to distribute workloads across multiple servers or resources to ensure that no single server or resource is overwhelmed. The goal of load balancing is to optimize resource use, minimize response time and ensure high availability.
Low-code
Low-code development is a software development approach that enables faster and more efficient application development by reducing the amount of manual coding required. It makes use pre-built components tools to automate many of the steps involved in coding. This approach is designed to empower non-technical users, such as business analysts, to build and deploy applications without relying on professional developers. Low-code platforms can be used to develop a wide range of applications, including web and mobile apps, process automation, and more. The goal of low-code is to speed up development, improve collaboration between IT and business teams, and reduce costs.
MongoDB
MongoDB is an open-source NoSQL database that is based on a document-oriented data model. Instead of using tables and rows as in traditional relational databases, MongoDB stores data in flexible, JSON-like documents with a schema-less structure. This allows for easy data representation and storage of complex hierarchical relationships, as well as rapid query and indexing operations. MongoDB is highly scalable, offering high performance and availability, which makes it suitable for handling large amounts of data across distributed systems. It is commonly used for big data and real-time applications, content management, and mobile and IoT data storage.
Mustache
Mustache is a logic-less templating engine for JavaScript, and various other programming languages. It allows for the separation of concerns between presentation and data by providing a simple syntax to define templates with placeholders that are later filled with data. It supports a variety of data types and can be used with both client-side and server-side applications. Mustache promotes the separation of concerns by keeping templates free from complex logic. It is widely used for building web applications.
No-Code
No-code is a software development approach that allows building applications without writing any code. It uses visual drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-built templates to automate the development process, enabling non-technical users such as business analysts to create and deploy applications. The goal of no-code is to simplify and speed up application development, making it more accessible and efficient for a wider range of people.
NoSQL
NoSQL is a type of database that provides a mechanism for storage and retrieval of data that is modeled in means other than the tabular relations used in relational databases. These databases are especially useful when working with large sets of distributed data, as they are designed for scalability, high availability, and high performance. NoSQL databases, which include document, key-value, wide-column, and graph databases, are widely used in big data and real-time web applications.
Plugin
A (software) plugin is a software component that adds a specific feature or functionality to an existing software program. Plugins are designed to be integrated seamlessly with the host program and they typically extend the program's capabilities without the need for the user to have knowledge of programming.
Plugins are often created by third-party developers and they can be used to add features such as new tools, effects, and file formats to a program. They can be installed and removed easily, allowing users to customize their software to fit their specific needs.
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL is an open-source, object-relational database management system (ORDBMS) that emphasizes extensibility, standards compliance, and robustness. It was initially released in 1996 and has been continuously developed and improved over the years by a large and active community.
PostgreSQL supports advanced data types and allows users to define their own custom data types, functions, and operators. It offers a powerful query language, transactional processing, and concurrency control, which ensures data consistency even when multiple users access the database simultaneously.
PostgreSQL is highly scalable and can handle large amounts of data and a high number of concurrent users. It is used by many large organizations and applications, including web applications, data warehousing, geospatial data analysis, and more.
Process
A process (within a workflow engine) is a sequence of tasks that are organized and executed in a specific order to achieve a specific business goal. A process is defined by a set of rules, actions and conditions that determine the flow of tasks and the participants involved.
Prometheus
Prometheus is an open-source monitoring and alerting system. It is designed to collect metrics from various systems and services, store them in a time-series database and provide a powerful query language for analyzing and visualizing the data.
Qualified lead
A qualified lead is a potential customer who has been identified as having a higher likelihood of purchasing a company's products or services, based on certain criteria. This qualification process typically involves evaluating the lead's interest level, budget, need, and decision-making authority, among other factors. Qualified leads have met specific criteria established by the company, indicating that they are a good fit for the product or service offered and are more likely to progress through the sales funnel and convert into paying customers. This makes them more valuable to a sales team compared to unqualified leads, as they require less effort to convert and have a higher probability of generating revenue.
Relational databases
Relational databases are a type of database management system that store and organize data using tables with rows and columns. Each row in a table represents a unique record, while columns represent the attributes of those records. Relational databases use Structured Query Language (SQL) to define, manipulate, and retrieve data. The main strength of relational databases lies in their ability to establish relationships between tables using primary and foreign keys, which allows for efficient data retrieval, updates, and complex querying across multiple tables. Examples of relational databases include MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server.
REST
REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style for building web services. It is a set of constraints and principles that are usually applied to web services that are built using the HTTP protocol. The main idea behind REST is to use the existing capabilities of the HTTP protocol to create simple and scalable web services.
One of the main principles of REST is that it is stateless, meaning that the server does not maintain any information about the client between requests. This allows for better scalability and reliability, as the server is not required to keep track of the state of the client.
SCP
SCP (Secure Copy) is a network protocol used for securely transferring files between remote hosts over a network. It is based on the SSH (Secure Shell) protocol and uses encryption to protect the confidentiality and integrity of the data being transferred. SCP is commonly used for securely copying files between servers and can be used with various operating systems and platforms. SCP is a command-line tool and is often used in shell scripts and automation workflows.
Server cluster
A server cluster is a group of servers working together as a single system to provide increased performance, reliability, and scalability. By distributing workloads and resources among multiple servers, clusters can ensure high availability, fault tolerance, and load balancing, resulting in improved overall performance and reduced downtime.
SFTP
SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) is a network protocol used for securely transferring files between hosts over a TCP-based network. It is based on the SSH (Secure Shell) protocol and uses encryption to protect the confidentiality and integrity of the data being transferred. SFTP provides a client-server architecture and supports various authentication methods, including password-based and public-key authentication. SFTP is widely used for transferring files securely over the internet and is supported by various operating systems and platforms.
SMTP
SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. It is a protocol used to send email messages between servers and email clients. SMTP specifies how email should be formatted, transmitted, and delivered, and uses TCP to establish connections between servers. SMTP is essential for email communication and is used by most email providers and clients.
SOA
Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is an approach to software design that organizes functionality as a collection of services. Services can be accessed independently and communicate with each other through a standardized interface. This approach promotes flexibility, scalability, and reusability, and can be used to build complex distributed systems.
SOAP
SOAP stands for Simple Object Access Protocol. It is a messaging protocol used to exchange structured data between applications over the internet. SOAP uses XML for message formatting and can be used with a variety of transport protocols such as HTTP, SMTP, and TCP. It is commonly used in web services to facilitate communication between different systems.
Software library
A software library is a collection of pre-written code, functions, or routines that developers can use in their own programs to perform common tasks. Libraries save time and effort by providing reusable, tested, and optimized code, which can be easily integrated into a project. Using libraries helps developers avoid reinventing the wheel for common tasks, reduces code duplication, and helps maintain a consistent and efficient codebase. Libraries are typically language-specific and can be provided by the language itself, third-party developers, or open-source communities.
SQL
SQL, which stands for Structured Query Language, is a programming language used to manage and manipulate relational databases. It allows users to create, read, update, and delete data in a database, making it a fundamental tool for database management. SQL is widely used in the tech industry, and understanding it is essential for roles such as database administrator, data analyst, and software developer.
SSH
SCP (Secure Copy) is a network protocol used for securely transferring files between remote hosts over a network. It is based on the SSH (Secure Shell) protocol and uses encryption to protect the confidentiality and integrity of the data being transferred. SCP is commonly used for securely copying files between servers and can be used with various operating systems and platforms. SCP is a command-line tool and is often used in shell scripts and automation workflows.
Template
A template is a predefined structure or format that can be used to generate messages such as email or text notifications. These templates are used to enable localization, which means adapting the message to the language, culture and other characteristics of the recipients.
Templates are used to separate the content of the message from the formatting and layout. This allows the message content to be easily changed without affecting the formatting. It also allows the same message to be sent in different languages or with different formats, such as plain text or HTML.
Template engine
A template engine is a software tool used to generate dynamic HTML content by combining predefined templates with data. Templates are created using a mix of static HTML and template-specific placeholders or tags, which are replaced with actual data at runtime. This separation of content and presentation makes it easier to maintain and update websites, as developers can modify the structure, layout, or design of a site without altering the underlying data. Template engines are widely used in web development, allowing for faster development, better code organization, and improved maintainability.
Thymeleaf
Thymeleaf is a modern server-side Java template engine that allows for the creation of dynamic HTML, XML, and other markup files. It provides seamless integration with Spring and other Java frameworks, and supports natural templating constructs such as loops and conditionals. Thymeleaf promotes the separation of concerns by keeping templates free from complex logic. It is often used for building web applications and is compatible with a variety of front-end technologies.
Trigger
In the context of a workflow engine, a trigger is an event or condition that initiates the execution of a process. Triggers can be set up to start a process automatically or they can require manual initiation. Triggers can also be used to start a process in response to an external event, such as a message from another system or a change in a sensor reading.
Unix
Unix is a powerful, multi-user and multitasking operating system originally developed in the 1970s at Bell Labs by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and others. It has been influential in the development of many modern operating systems, with its philosophy and design principles serving as a foundation for systems like Linux and BSD. Unix is known for its portability, simplicity, and the concept of treating everything as a file or a process, which has made it popular in both academic and commercial settings.
Velocity
Velocity is a Java-based template engine that simplifies the process of creating dynamic web content. It uses a simple syntax to define templates with placeholders that are later filled with data. Velocity is highly customizable and supports a variety of data types and conditional logic. It can be used with both server-side and client-side applications and integrates well with many popular Java frameworks. Velocity is often used for generating HTML, XML, and other markup languages.
Versioning
Versioning in software development refers to the practice of assigning unique identifiers or version numbers to different stages or iterations of a software project. This helps developers keep track of changes, updates, bug fixes, and new features added over time. Versioning allows for better organization, collaboration, and management of the project, enabling teams to easily roll back to previous versions, compare differences, and maintain compatibility with other dependent systems or components. Common versioning systems include semantic versioning and source control tools like Git.
Visitor
A visitor is an individual who accesses or interacts with the SaaS company's website, marketing materials or online resources. Visitors can include potential customers, current customers, partners, or other interested parties who are browsing or engaging with the company's online presence. These visitors may be seeking information, considering a purchase, or looking for support.
Windows
(Microsoft) Windows is a series of operating systems developed by Microsoft, one of the leading technology companies in the world. Since its first release in 1985, Windows has become the dominant operating system for personal computers, known for its user-friendly graphical interface. Over the years, it has evolved significantly, offering a wide range of features for both personal and professional use.
Workflow engine
A workflow engine is a software system that manages and automates the flow of tasks and processes within an organization. It is designed to streamline and optimize business processes by defining and executing a set of rules and actions that determine the order in which tasks are completed and by whom. Workflow engines can be used to automate a wide range of processes, such as document approvals, human resources tasks and IT operations. They can also integrate with other systems, such as databases and email servers, to facilitate the flow of information throughout an organization.
XML
XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is a markup language that is used to structure, store and transport data. It is a flexible and extensible format that can be used to represent a wide range of data types, including text, numbers, dates, and binary data.
XML files use the .xml file extension and they can be parsed and processed using a variety of programming languages and libraries such as XML DOM, SAX and more.
XML has been widely adopted as a standard for data representation and exchange and it is used in many different fields, including e-commerce, finance and healthcare.
XSLT
XSLT, which stands for Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations, is a language used for transforming XML documents into other formats such as HTML, PDF, or even another XML. It's a part of the larger XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language) specification, which also includes XPath and XSL-FO.
XSLT uses templates to match parts of the source XML document, and these templates dictate how the content should be transformed. The transformation process is typically carried out by an XSLT processor, which reads both the XML document and the XSLT stylesheet, and then outputs the transformed document. This makes XSLT a powerful tool for manipulating and repurposing XML data.
YAML
YAML (short for "YAML Ain't Markup Language") is a human-readable data serialization format. It is often used for configuration files, data exchange between languages and tools and for data storage.
YAML is designed to be easy for humans to read and write and it uses indentation and other simple visual cues to indicate the structure of the data. It supports a wide range of data types, including strings, numbers, booleans and lists.
YAML files use the .yml or .yaml file extension and they use a syntax that is similar to JSON but it is less verbose.