Glossary — How to Use This
Your personal translation dictionary from Excel-world to tech-world. Every term you will encounter in this program, explained in plain language first.
What This Is
Every profession has its own language. CAs talk about deferred tax, AS-15, and ledger balancing. Developers talk about APIs, hooks, and deployments.
When you are new to a field, the language itself becomes the obstacle — you cannot focus on learning the concept because you are stuck on what the words mean. This glossary removes that obstacle.
The rule: When you encounter a term in a session or document that you do not fully understand, look here first. You will find:
- Plain English — what it actually means, no jargon
- Excel equivalent — the concept you already know that this maps to
- In practice — when you will actually see this during training
- Don't confuse with — common mix-ups and similar-sounding terms
If a term is not in this glossary, bring it to the next session. Every missing term gets added.
How to Navigate
The glossary is split into four alphabetical sections:
| Section | Letters | Go there for |
|---|---|---|
| A–F | A, B, C, D, E, F | API, Authentication, Backend, Branch, Cache, CI/CD, CLI, Component, CSS, Database, Deploy, Edge Function, Environment Variable |
| G–M | G, H, I, J, K, L, M | Git, GitHub, Hook, HTTP, IDE, Interface, JSX, JSON, Library, Lint, Merge, Migration |
| N–R | N, O, P, Q, R | Node.js, npm, OAuth, Object, Package, PostgreSQL, PR, Props, React, Repository, Route, RLS, Runtime |
| S–Z | S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z | Schema, SDK, Server, Session, Staging, State, Supabase, Tailwind, Token, TypeScript, UI, UX, Variable, Vercel, Webhook, Zod |
There is also a special section that you will find the most valuable:
Excel to Tech — The Master Translation Table Every concept from the world you already know, mapped to its tech equivalent with a full explanation of why the analogy holds.
A Note on Analogies
The Excel analogies in this glossary are not perfect. No analogy is. Excel has one user editing one file at a time. A web application can have 10,000 users interacting simultaneously. That difference matters enormously and we will discuss it in context.
But analogies are bridges. They get you across the river. Once you understand the tech concept properly, the analogy has done its job and you can set it aside.
Use the analogies as a starting point, not a final destination.
This Is a Living Document
This glossary grows throughout the program. New terms are added as they come up in sessions. If something is missing or the explanation is unclear, say so — it gets fixed immediately.
Every term in the training documents is hyperlinked to its entry here. The first time a term appears in any module, you can click through to read the full definition.
The Most Important Terms to Know First
If you read nothing else before Session 1, read these five entries:
- Frontend vs Backend — the most fundamental distinction in web development
- API — how every piece of software talks to every other piece
- Database — where all data lives permanently
- Component — the building block of every screen you will build
- Deploy — how code goes from your laptop to the internet
Everything else builds on these five.
Check Your Understanding
- I have bookmarked the glossary page and know how to navigate it quickly
- I can explain these without looking: API, Component, Database, Primary Key, RLS, State, Deploy
- I understand the analogy limitation — database handles concurrent users in a way Excel cannot
- I know the 5 most important terms to understand before Session 1