Ninety-six terms, one card each. From idea to launch - a one-line explanation and an example for every one.
Prototype
Build a clickable mock of the interface first to feel how it works.
For example
Make a few screens in Figma and click through the flow.
Branch
Open a parallel line from the main code to develop on without touching the main version.
I created a feature branch to build the login flow.
Browser DevTools
The debugger built into the browser for inspecting structure, styles and errors.
When the page did not show up, I opened DevTools to read the error.
RAG
Have the AI look up relevant material first, then answer from it — fewer hallucinations, more accuracy.
My app uses RAG to retrieve dictionary material, then has the AI write the explanation.
CI / CD
Automatically test, build and deploy after each commit — no manual steps.
I set up CI/CD in GitHub Actions so every push deploys automatically.
Log
Information a program records automatically while running, used to trace problems.
I read the runtime log and found why the API call failed.
Wireframe
A sketch of the page showing layout and where things go, without colour or visual detail.
I drew a wireframe first to fix where the button and text sit.
Cache
Temporarily storing frequently used data so the system responds faster.
I keep popular word results in the cache so they show up faster next time.
Vector database
A database built for storing and retrieving vector data, common in AI apps such as semantic search.
I store each word's vector in a vector database so I can do semantic search later.
Status code
The three-digit number the server returns, saying whether the request succeeded.
200 means the request succeeded; a 404 probably means the URL is wrong.
Test coverage
The share of code reached by your tests; it measures how thorough the testing is.
My project's test coverage is 80%, so most core code is covered.
Monitoring
Watching the running app and key metrics such as error rate and response time after launch, to catch anomalies.
I set up monitoring, noticed the error rate spike overnight and investigated.
User feedback
The opinions, suggestions and problems users raise after using the product; a key basis for improvement.
A user said the pronunciation was unclear, so I improved the audio.
Idea
What you want to build, and which problem it solves.
An app that helps people discover the story behind English words.
Minimum viable product
Build the smallest version that actually works, to test the idea.
Version one only does: a few words plus their etymology.
Product requirements document
Write down what the product does, who it is for and why, as a whole.
This is the complete product spec sheet.
Specification
Spell out exactly how one feature should work.
The save button sits top-right, turns solid on click, and the state is stored in the database.
Prompt
The instruction you give the AI; it decides the quality of the output.
Build me a word-card component in React with the word, pronunciation and a save button.
Context
The relevant information the AI needs to finish the task.
Product goal + current code + requirements doc — all of that is context.
GitHub
Sync your local repository to the cloud; also a developer's portfolio.
Push the code to GitHub so it is backed up and you can continue on another machine.
Deploy
Publish the finished app to a server so other people can reach it.
After deploying, your app has a URL that anyone in the world can visit.
Code editor
The tool you write and edit code in, like Word for documents.
I write code in Cursor — that is my code editor.
Terminal
Control the computer directly with text commands, no mouse clicking.
I type commands in the terminal to install dependencies.
Shell
The program that receives the commands you type and actually runs them.
I use zsh — that is a kind of shell.
Package manager
Downloads, installs and manages the outside tools and libraries a project needs.
I use npm install to add a new library.
Repository
The collection of all of a project's code, history and configuration.
My Bunny project is one GitHub repository.
Commit
Take a snapshot of this code change and leave a permanent record.
After finishing a feature I commit, so I can come back to this version.
Push
Upload local commits to a remote repository such as GitHub.
I use git push to sync my code to GitHub.
Pull
Download the latest content from the remote repository to your machine.
When working as a team, I git pull first to get the latest changes.
Frontend
What users see and operate: buttons, pages, animations.
The home page, buttons and cards I see are all built in the frontend.
Backend
What users cannot see, handling data and business logic behind the scenes.
When I log in, the backend verifies my account and password.
Database
Where data is stored long term: user details, saved items and so on.
The words I saved live in the database and are still there next time.
API
The window through which two pieces of software place orders at each other.
My app sends a word to the AI through an API and gets the explanation back.
API key
The secret that proves who you are when calling someone else's API. Never publish it.
I keep the OpenAI API key in a .env file.
Framework
A ready-made scaffolding someone else built so you can ship faster.
I use Next.js as the framework for this project.
Dependency
An outside tool or code library your project must borrow to run.
This project needs a few dependencies installed before it runs.
Environment
The full set of system, tools and variables a program needs to run.
I run the code in my local development environment, which differs from production.
Runtime
The platform the code actually executes on, such as Node.js or Python.
My project runs on the Node.js runtime.
HTML
Defines what content a page has — the skeleton of the page.
I wrote a heading and a button into the page with HTML.
CSS
Controls a page's styling: colour, font, spacing and layout.
I used CSS to make the button green and give it rounded corners.
JavaScript
Makes the page come alive: clicks, input, data and other interaction logic.
I used JavaScript so the word appears when the button is clicked.
React
A popular frontend framework that builds interfaces out of components.
I turned the word card into a reusable component with React.
Component
A reusable, self-contained UI block such as a button, card or navbar.
I built a word-card component that works on any page.
State
The data the interface currently holds; when it changes the page updates itself.
After I click save, the state becomes true and the icon turns solid.
DOM
The tree the browser parses HTML into, which JavaScript uses to change the page.
I changed the text on the page through the DOM with JavaScript.
Responsive
Makes a page display properly on phones, tablets and desktops alike.
I set up a responsive layout and the page still looks good on a phone.
Hosting
Running your site or app on someone else's cloud server so the world can reach it.
I deployed the app to Vercel so others can visit it online.
Domain
The site's name address, so users reach your app through an easy-to-remember name.
I bought the domain www.mydapp.com.
HTTPS / SSL
Encrypts traffic between site and user; the browser shows a padlock to signal a safe connection.
After deploying I set up HTTPS, so there is a padlock in the address bar.
NoSQL
A database without a fixed table structure — more flexible, good for complex or shifting data.
I store user study records in MongoDB, no complex tables needed.
Docker
Packages an app with the environment it needs so it runs the same on any machine.
I package the project with Docker so it runs on a new server with one command.
Serverless
No server to manage; code runs on demand and you pay for what you use.
I use Vercel serverless functions for the backend logic.
Bug
An error or problem in a program that makes it behave unexpectedly.
The page errors after I click save — that is a bug.
Debug
Finding the cause of a problem and fixing it.
I debugged step by step from the error and found a typo in a variable name.
Test
Checking whether a program behaves the way it should.
After building login I tested normal login, wrong password and more.
User flow
The steps and path a user goes through to reach a goal.
Open the app → see today's word → tap the word → save. That is one user flow.
UI
The product's visual presentation: colour, type, icons, buttons.
I designed the app's UI in Figma to look cleaner.
UX
The overall feel of using the product — usable, smooth, enjoyable.
We simplified the steps so people find saved words more easily, improving UX.
Algorithm
A clear set of steps for solving a problem, so a computer can process data and reach a result.
Social media uses an algorithm to decide what you see on your feed.
Phishing
Disguising yourself as a trusted organisation to trick people into giving up passwords or card numbers.
I got an email pretending to be my bank asking me to click a link — likely phishing.
Cloud
Computing resources — storage, software, servers — delivered over the internet instead of local hardware.
I keep files in the cloud so I can reach them anywhere.
Git
A tool that tracks code changes and supports collaborative development.
I use Git to keep different versions of the code and work with a team.
Iteration
Improving on what exists already, in small updates that edge closer to a better result.
We iterate on user feedback to make the product better.
Prioritize
Decide what to do first and what to leave for later, by importance and urgency.
I finish the most important task first and leave the rest.
Stakeholder
Anyone with an interest in a project or product: users, customers, teammates, management.
Before starting we need to understand what each stakeholder wants.
Conversion
When a user completes a desired action such as signing up, buying or subscribing — a key product metric.
We improved the registration conversion rate by redesigning the page.
Schema
Defines the structure of the data in a database: which fields exist and what type each one is.
When designing the database I first defined the user table schema, with id, name and email.
Query
The operation that fetches data from a database, usually written in SQL or another query language.
Query the user where id = 1 with SQL.
Object-relational mapping
Operate the database from code in your language instead of writing SQL directly.
I create users through the ORM instead of hand-writing complex SQL.
File storage
A storage service for images, audio, video and other files.
I upload the pronunciation clips to cloud file storage so the app can play them.
HTTP
The base protocol for sending data over the internet; it defines how client and server talk.
When I type a URL in the browser, I am sending a request to the server over HTTP.
Request
The data and instructions a client sends to a server, usually with a URL, method and parameters.
I send a request to the server to get today's word list.
Response
The data and result the server returns after receiving a request.
The server returns a JSON response containing the word and its meaning.
Endpoint
The access address of one specific API function; different features usually map to different endpoints.
I call the /v1/words endpoint to fetch the word list.
HTTP method
Declares what operation a request performs; the common ones are GET, POST, PUT and DELETE.
I use POST to send a new word to the server.
JSON
A lightweight, readable data format often used to pass data between frontend and backend.
Word data returned by the API is usually JSON.
Webhook
When an event happens, the server pushes data to a URL you configured, so you do not have to poll.
After a user pays, the system notifies my server through a webhook.
SDK
A ready-made toolkit that makes it easier to call another service's features instead of writing everything yourself.
With OpenAI's SDK, a few lines of code call its API.
Authentication
Confirms who you are and proves you may access a system or resource.
After I log in, the system uses authentication to confirm my identity.
Authorization
After identity is confirmed, decides which resources and actions you are allowed.
Even though I am logged in, without authorization I cannot delete someone else's data.
Error
A problem that occurs while the program runs, causing some features to stop working.
I saw a TypeError, which means there is a type-related mistake in the code.
Debugging
The process of locating, analysing and fixing problems so the program runs normally again.
I worked through the error line by line and finally found and fixed the problem.
Test case
A specific scenario and set of steps designed to verify whether a feature works.
I wrote a test case: entering a wrong password should show a notice.
CI
After every commit, build and test automatically so problems surface early.
After I push to GitHub, CI runs the tests and reports back.
CD
After tests pass, deploy the code to production or staging automatically so new versions ship faster.
When tests pass, CD deploys the latest version to Vercel automatically.
Production
The live environment real users use, as opposed to development, and usually held to higher stability and security.
After testing we deployed the app to production and went live.
Scaling
When traffic grows, adding computing resources or improving the architecture to raise capacity.
As users grew we scaled from one server to three to keep it fast.
Milestone
An important point in a project, usually marking whether a stage goal is complete.
Our first milestone is finishing the MVP; the second is the beta launch.
Timeline
The planned schedule from project start to finish, including the key points of each phase.
We plan to finish the MVP in three months; that is the project timeline.
Resource
The people, time, money and tools available to complete a project.
I am the only person on this project, so time and resources need to be planned carefully.
Collaboration
Several people working on a project together: communicating, dividing work, sharing files and syncing progress.
I collaborate with a colleague on this project on GitHub.
Documentation
Files recording project information: usage notes, developer guides, API docs and so on.
I wrote a README so others can understand the project quickly.
License
The legal agreement stating how others may use, modify and distribute your code.
I chose the MIT license so others can freely use my project.
Open source
Public code anyone can view, use, modify and contribute to, usually maintained by a community.
I open-sourced the project on GitHub, hoping for more feedback and contributions.
Analytics
Collecting and analysing user behaviour data to understand how the product is used and decide what to do.
Analytics showed most users are on mobile, so I optimised the mobile experience first.
Release
Formally publishing a new or improved version for users.
Testing is done, so we can release v1.0.0 now.