# The Jargon Translator The 25 words that make coding sound harder than it is. One or two sentences each, plus when you'll actually hear it. None of these concepts is difficult; they just have unfriendly names. **1. Terminal.** A chat box for your computer: you type short text commands, it answers in text. You'll hear it the moment anyone says "just open a terminal and run..." **2. Command.** One instruction you type into the terminal, like `cd projects` or `claude`. When a tutorial says "run this command," it means: paste it, press Enter. **3. Directory.** A folder. That's the whole definition; programmers just say directory. You'll see it in errors like "no such file or directory," which means "I can't find that folder or file." **4. Repo (repository).** GitHub's word for a project folder with a built-in memory of every change ever made. You'll hear "push it to the repo" when it's time to back up your work. **5. Env var (environment variable).** A named piece of information your app reads from its surroundings instead of from your code, usually a secret. Lives in a file called `.env`. You'll hear "set your env vars" during app setup. **6. API key.** A password for a service, made for programs instead of people. If your app uses Stripe or OpenAI, the key is how those services know it's you (and who to bill), so treat it like a bank card number. **7. Localhost.** Your own computer, pretending to be a website. When your app runs "on localhost," only you can see it; it's the dress rehearsal before putting it on the internet. **8. Port.** A numbered door on your computer that a running app answers through. `localhost:3000` means "my computer, door 3000." You'll hear it when two apps fight over the same door: "port 3000 already in use." **9. Deploy.** To publish your app onto the real internet so other people can use it. "Deploy to production" sounds military; it usually means clicking a button on a service like Vercel. **10. Dependency.** Someone else's code your project relies on so you don't reinvent it, like a calendar widget or a payments library. Apps typically have hundreds; that's normal, not sloppy. **11. Package.** One dependency, wrapped up and published so anyone can install it with a command. "Install the package" means "download that reusable chunk of code into your project." **12. Build.** The step that converts the code humans write into the optimized files browsers actually load. "The build failed" means that conversion hit an error, and the error message says where. **13. Framework.** A pre-made skeleton for an app, so you start with working structure instead of an empty page. Next.js and React are the ones you'll hear most; picking one is like picking a house floor plan. **14. Database.** The organized filing cabinet where your app keeps information that must survive: users, orders, posts. When someone asks "where's your data stored?", the answer is a database. **15. Frontend.** The part of the app users see and click: buttons, pages, colors. "Frontend bug" means something looks or behaves wrong on screen. **16. Backend.** The behind-the-scenes part: checking passwords, saving to the database, doing the math. Users never see it, which is why backend bugs are the confusing ones. **17. Server.** A computer (usually rented, in someone's data center) that runs your backend around the clock. "The server is down" means that computer stopped answering. **18. Endpoint.** One specific address your app's backend answers at, like a labeled service window: this one for logins, that one for payments. You'll hear "hit the endpoint," which just means "send a request to that address." **19. Token (auth).** A temporary pass a service gives your app after logging in, so it doesn't ask for the password on every request. "Token expired" means the pass ran out; log in again. **20. Token (AI).** The unit AI models use to measure text, roughly three-quarters of a word. AI pricing and limits are counted in tokens, which is why the word is everywhere. **21. Context window.** How much conversation and code an AI can keep in mind at once. When a long session gets forgetful, it's because early material scrolled out of the window; this is why you keep a PROGRESS.md diary. **22. Git.** The change-tracking system inside a repo: it remembers every version of every file, forever. "Commit" means saving a named snapshot you can always return to. It's the reason coders aren't afraid to break things. **23. CLI (command-line interface).** Any tool you operate by typing in the terminal instead of clicking. Claude Code is a CLI; so is git. "Install the CLI" means "get the typed version of this tool." **24. Stack.** The set of tools a project is built with, listed like ingredients: "Next.js, Supabase, and Stripe" is a stack. When someone asks "what's your stack?", they're asking what your app is made of. **25. Production.** The live, public version of your app, the one real users touch, as opposed to the version on your machine. "Don't test in production" means don't experiment on the live one; that's what localhost is for. --- Keep this file in your projects folder. When a tutorial or error message uses a word that isn't here, paste the sentence to your AI and ask: "Translate this to plain English and tell me if I need to care."