Interface Glossary

Browse 7 interface terms defined in plain English, from the cultural dictionary of computing.

7 Interface Terms

API
API stands for Application Programming Interface. It is a defined contract that allows two pieces of software to communicate with each other by specifying what...
Behavior
In Erlang/Elixir, a module attribute that defines a set of callback functions a module must implement — analogous to interfaces or traits in other languages —...
Chatbot
A program that simulates conversation with human users. Ranges from ELIZA's 1966 pattern-matching parlor tricks to modern LLM-powered assistants that can debug...
Contract
A formal specification of the obligations and guarantees between software components. In Design by Contract, preconditions, postconditions, and invariants...
Endpoint
A specific URL in a web API that accepts requests and returns responses. GET /api/users is an endpoint. Every REST API is a collection of endpoints. Every...
Protocol
A set of rules governing communication between systems. In networking, protocols like HTTP, TCP, and WebSocket define how data is formatted and transmitted. In...
Terminal
A text-based interface for interacting with a computer's operating system via a command-line shell. Originally a physical device, now typically a software...

Related Topics