Methodology Glossary

Browse 20 methodology terms defined in plain English, from the cultural dictionary of computing.

20 Methodology Terms

Agile
Agile is a set of principles and practices for software development that emphasizes iterative delivery, collaboration, flexibility, and responding to change...
BEM
Block Element Modifier — a CSS naming convention that organizes class names as .block__element--modifier (e.g., .card__title--highlighted). Prevents...
Domain-Driven Design
A software design approach that focuses on modeling the core business domain through close collaboration with domain experts. Key concepts: bounded contexts...
Golden File Test
A test that compares program output against a saved reference file ('golden file' or 'snapshot'). On first run or with an update flag, it saves the output. On...
Kanban
A workflow management method using visual boards with columns (To Do, In Progress, Done) and work-in-progress limits. Borrowed from Toyota's manufacturing...
Lean Startup
Lean Startup is a methodology for building businesses and products that emphasizes rapid experimentation, validated learning, and iterative development over...
Pentest Framework
A structured platform or methodology that helps organize penetration testing tasks such as reconnaissance, exploitation, session handling, reporting, or rules...
Pentest Methodology
The planned approach used to conduct a penetration test, including reconnaissance, testing order, evidence standards, validation steps, and reporting...
Property-Based Testing
A testing approach where you define properties that should always hold true (invariants), and the framework generates hundreds of random inputs to try to find...
RED Method
A monitoring methodology for request-driven services: Rate (requests per second), Errors (failed requests per second), and Duration (latency distribution)....
Scrum
Scrum is an agile framework for managing and completing complex projects, most commonly used in software development. It organizes work into fixed-length...
TDD
Test-Driven Development (TDD) is a software development discipline built on a short, repeating cycle called red-green-refactor. First, write a failing test...
Test Double
A generic term for any object that stands in for a real dependency in tests. Types: dummy (passed but never used), stub (returns canned answers), spy (records...
Test-Driven Development
A software development methodology where you write a failing test before writing the production code that makes it pass. The cycle is red (fail), green (pass),...
Test Fixture
The fixed state used as a baseline for running tests — test data, mock objects, configuration, database records, and environment setup. Fixtures run before...
Twelve-Factor App
A methodology for building SaaS applications with twelve principles: codebase, dependencies, config, backing services, build/release/run, processes, port...
Twelve-Factor App
A methodology of twelve principles for building modern cloud-native applications, published by Heroku co-founder Adam Wiggins in 2011. Key factors: store...
USE Method
A methodology for analyzing infrastructure performance: Utilization (how busy the resource is), Saturation (how much work is queued), and Errors (error...
Waterfall
A sequential software development methodology where each phase — requirements, design, implementation, testing, deployment, maintenance — must be fully...
XP
Short for Extreme Programming, the agile methodology emphasizing short feedback loops, pair programming, testing, simplicity, and continuous integration. The...

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