03 - Terms Cheat Sheet

In this module, we'll introduce you to some common terms found in Server/API.

Server Terms Cheat Sheet

The following is a cheat sheet for your usage as you go through this portion of the program. There is not a need to memorize these. Our hope is that you can understand all of them by the time we are done:

Concept	Definition
server	a program (or hardware) that accepts and responds to requests from a client
client	a program (or hardware) that accesses a service made available by a server
middleware	software that enables communication of data between domains -> For example, www.myapp.com can talk to www.apiformyapp.com
router	determines how to handle an incoming HTTP request
route	the actual path that handles a request: localhost:3000/helloworld
controller	receives the request from the router and decides what to do with it
endpoint	a function like POST or DELETE available through shared base routes: /user/post-data or /user/delete-data
database	a structured set of data held that is accessible in various ways
database table	used in relational databases to store data; a flat file with vertical columns and horizontal rows
data model	server code that mirrors the structure of a database table
encryption	the conversion of data into encoded data to hide its true value: "mypassword" -> "2XKLJlkjasdlfl83"
statelessness	the idea that a client and server forget each other after each request/response lifecycle
session	a timed meeting between two different devices or applications
token	allows a server to identify a client more easily between requests
authentication	the process of comparing credentials provided by a client with those found in a database
SQL	a language used to query a relational database
migration	the process of updating a database table if a data model changes