How this works
Terms that appear in blog posts are automatically highlighted in teal with a small ? superscript. Hover them to see the definition. Each term only highlights once per post (the first occurrence), and code blocks are skipped.
This page is the full dictionary. It grows as new posts introduce new jargon.
Formats
YAML - A human-readable data serialisation format commonly used for configuration files. Stands for "YAML Ain't Markup Language."
JSONL - JSON Lines. A text format where each line is a valid JSON object, separated by newlines. Used for streaming data, log files, and append-only event stores.
MDX - Markdown with JSX. Lets you embed React components inside markdown files. Used for blog posts and documentation that need interactive elements.
JSON-LD - JSON for Linked Data. A method of encoding structured data (Schema.org) in JSON format, embedded in HTML via script tags. Helps search engines understand page content.
SVG - Scalable Vector Graphics. An XML-based image format that scales to any size without losing quality. Used for charts, icons, and diagrams.
CRLF - Carriage Return + Line Feed (\r\n). The Windows line ending. Unix/macOS use LF only (\n). Mixing them causes subtle parsing bugs across platforms.
Tools
vaultctl - A toolkit for managing a personal knowledge vault stored as structured markdown files. Provides a CLI, REST API, and native apps for reading, writing, and querying notes.
SuiteScript - NetSuite's server-side JavaScript API for customising business logic, automating workflows, and building custom interfaces.
Forge - Atlassian's app development platform. Build apps with JavaScript/TypeScript that run on Atlassian's infrastructure. Supports Jira, Confluence, and Rovo integrations.
Tailwind - A utility-first CSS framework. Instead of writing custom CSS classes, you compose styles from small single-purpose classes like flex, p-4, and text-sm.
Next.js - A React framework for building web applications. Supports server-side rendering, static generation, API routes, and file-based routing.
Vitest - A fast unit testing framework for JavaScript and TypeScript. Compatible with Jest's API but uses Vite for near-instant test startup.
Express - A minimal Node.js web framework for building REST APIs and web servers. Handles routing, middleware, and HTTP request/response processing.
SwiftUI - Apple's declarative UI framework for building interfaces across iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Uses Swift code to describe layout and behaviour.
Obsidian - A markdown-based knowledge management app. Stores notes as local .md files with YAML frontmatter. Supports wiki-links, graph view, and community plugins.
TypeScript - A typed superset of JavaScript. Adds static type checking, interfaces, and generics. Compiles to plain JavaScript. Used for catching errors at build time.
Ghostty - A GPU-accelerated terminal emulator written in Zig. Uses Metal on macOS for rendering. Focuses on speed and correct terminal emulation.
Vercel - A cloud platform for deploying web applications. Specialises in Next.js hosting with automatic builds, preview deployments, and edge functions.
Syncthing - A peer-to-peer file synchronisation tool. Keeps folders in sync across devices without a central server. Encrypted, open source.
Rovo - Atlassian's AI assistant platform. Rovo agents can search across Atlassian products, take actions via Forge apps, and answer questions using company knowledge.
SuiteQL - NetSuite's SQL-like query language. Supports JOINs, GROUP BY, and subqueries against the NetSuite database. More powerful than saved searches for complex reporting.
Homebrew - The most popular package manager for macOS. Installs command-line tools and applications via brew install.
Mermaid - A text-based diagramming language. Write flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and Gantt charts in markdown-like syntax that renders as SVG.
Tempo - A time-tracking and resource planning tool for Jira. Tracks planned vs. actual hours, manages timesheets, and provides capacity planning.
Atlaskit - Atlassian's official React UI component library. Provides design-system-consistent components for building Forge and Connect apps.
Umami - An open-source, privacy-friendly web analytics platform. Tracks page views without cookies or consent banners.
AppKit - Apple's UI framework for macOS applications. Provides classes like NSTextView, NSScrollView, and NSWindow.
DevTools - Browser Developer Tools. A built-in panel for inspecting HTML, debugging JavaScript, monitoring network requests, and profiling performance.
gray-matter - A Node.js library for parsing YAML frontmatter from markdown files. Extracts metadata into a JavaScript object and returns the remaining content separately.
Concepts
frontmatter - Metadata at the top of a markdown file, enclosed in --- delimiters. Contains structured fields (YAML) that describe the document: type, tags, dates, status.
wiki-links - Internal links between notes using [[double bracket]] syntax. Clicking a wiki-link navigates to the linked note. Enables networked knowledge.
PARA - An organisational system that divides notes into four categories: Projects (have deadlines), Areas (ongoing responsibilities), Resources (reference material), and Archive (inactive items).
Zettelkasten - A note-taking method using small, atomic notes connected by links. Each note captures one idea. Discovery happens through connections, not folder hierarchy.
MCP - Model Context Protocol. An open standard for connecting AI assistants to external tools and data sources. Servers expose tools, resources, and prompts via JSON-RPC over stdio or HTTP.
SSE - Server-Sent Events. A standard for servers to push real-time updates to browsers over HTTP. Simpler than WebSockets; one-directional (server to client only).
ESM - ECMAScript Modules. The official JavaScript module system using import/export syntax. Superseding CommonJS (require/module.exports) as the standard.
OAuth - An authorisation framework that lets apps access user data without sharing passwords. Users approve access via a consent screen; the app receives a token.
monorepo - A single git repository containing multiple packages or projects. Shares dependencies and enables cross-package changes in one commit.
ES5 - ECMAScript 5 (2009). An older JavaScript standard without arrow functions, let/const, classes, or template literals. Still required by some platforms like NetSuite SuiteScript 2.0.
LLM - Large Language Model. An AI model trained on vast text data to generate, summarise, and reason about language. Examples: GPT, Claude, Gemini.
RAG - Retrieval-Augmented Generation. An AI pattern that feeds relevant documents to an LLM alongside the user's question, grounding responses in real data.
Suitelet - A NetSuite server-side script type that generates custom web pages. Handles HTTP requests and runs inside NetSuite's infrastructure.
saved searches - NetSuite's built-in query tool. Configures filters and columns through a UI to retrieve data. Simpler than SuiteQL but limited for complex joins.
hydration - The process where client-side JavaScript attaches interactivity to server-rendered HTML. Bridges fast initial load (SSR) with dynamic behaviour.
SSR - Server-Side Rendering. Generating HTML on the server for each request. Faster initial page load and better for SEO than client-side rendering.
transpilation - Converting source code from one language or version to another (e.g., TypeScript to JavaScript). Done at build time by compilers like tsc or Babel.
state machine - A programming model where a system exists in one of a defined set of states, with rules governing transitions between them. Used for game logic and protocol handling.
path traversal - A security vulnerability where an attacker uses ../ sequences in file paths to access files outside the intended directory.
regex - Regular expression. A pattern-matching syntax for searching and manipulating text. Used in search, validation, and text processing.
npm workspaces - A Node.js feature for managing multiple packages in a single repository. Shares dependencies and enables cross-package imports without publishing.
API key - A secret token that authenticates requests to a web API. Should never be committed to source code or shared publicly.
telemetry - Automated collection of usage data (tool calls, session duration, errors) from running software. Used for monitoring and understanding behaviour patterns.
Infrastructure
LaunchAgent - A macOS mechanism for running background processes automatically on login. Configured via plist files in ~/Library/LaunchAgents/.
Unraid - A Linux-based NAS operating system. Manages storage arrays with parity protection, runs Docker containers, and provides a web-based management interface.
Keychain - macOS's secure credential storage. Stores passwords, certificates, and tokens encrypted on disk. Apps access credentials via the Security framework or the security CLI.
cron - A Unix job scheduler that runs commands at specified times or intervals, configured via a crontab file.
Tailscale - A mesh VPN built on WireGuard. Connects devices across networks without port forwarding. Each device gets a stable IP on a private network (100.x.y.z).
iptables - A Linux firewall tool. Defines rules for accepting, dropping, or forwarding network packets. Rules are organised into chains (INPUT, OUTPUT, FORWARD) and tables.
SMB - Server Message Block. A network file sharing protocol. Enables accessing files on remote machines as if they were local.
NTLMv2 - NT LAN Manager version 2. A Windows authentication protocol for SMB. More secure than NTLMv1, which is vulnerable to relay attacks.
65 terms. Last updated March 2026.