Changes Glossary

Browse 8 changes terms defined in plain English, from the cultural dictionary of computing.

8 Changes Terms

Change Event: An event emitted when a value, record, document, or state transition changes, allowing other parts of the system to react. Change events are common in UI...
Change Management: The process by which proposed system changes are reviewed, approved, scheduled, communicated, and tracked to reduce operational risk. In engineering...
Change Set: A grouped collection of modifications made together, often represented as a commit, patch, or deployable unit of work. Thinking in change sets helps teams...
Code Change: A modification to source code, configuration, or related files that alters behavior, fixes a bug, or restructures the implementation. Teams often reason about...
Delta: The difference between two states, versions, values, or outputs. Engineers use it casually for code diffs, metric movement, and change magnitude.
Diff: The set of changes between two versions of a file, commit, or branch, usually shown line by line in review tools. Engineers also use it loosely to mean any...
Patch: A discrete change applied to source code or software, historically often represented as a diff and now also commonly as a pull request or commit set. The term...
Stealth Update: A change shipped quietly with little or no visible announcement. In engineering slang, stealth updates sometimes reduce drama and sometimes create confusion...