Word list
Every technology word we use, explained in one or two plain sentences. Search for a word, or browse by letter.
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A
- Algorithm
- A list of steps for doing something, written in an order a computer can follow exactly.
- App
- A program you open on a phone, tablet or computer to do one job, like sending a message or playing a game.
- Artificial intelligence
- A computer program that has learned patterns from huge numbers of examples. People call it AI for short.
B
- Bandwidth
- How much information a connection can carry at once, like how many lanes are on a road.
- Binary
- A way of writing information using only two symbols, 0 and 1, which is how computers store everything.
- Bit
- The smallest piece of information a computer stores. It is either a 0 or a 1.
- Browser
- The program you use to visit websites, like Chrome, Safari or Edge.
- Bug
- A mistake in a program that makes it do something it wasn't supposed to do.
- Byte
- A small group of bits, usually eight, that a computer treats as one piece of information.
C
- Cache
- A place where a computer keeps a copy of something it already downloaded, so it doesn't have to fetch it again.
- Cloud
- Computers owned by a company, kept in a building somewhere, that store and run things for you over the internet.
- Code
- Written instructions that tell a computer exactly what to do.
- Copyright
- A rule that says the person who made something, like a picture or a song, gets to decide how it is used.
D
- Data
- Any information a computer stores or works with, like numbers, words, photos or sounds.
- Data center
- A large building full of computers that stores information and runs websites for millions of people.
- Debug
- To find and fix a mistake in a program.
- Domain name
- The easy to remember address of a website, like allcloudacademy.com.
- Download
- To copy a file from the internet onto your own device.
E
- Encryption
- Scrambling information so that only someone with the right key can read it.
F
- File
- A piece of information stored on a computer with its own name, like a photo, a document or a song.
- Firewall
- A safety check that watches the information going in and out of a network and blocks anything that looks dangerous.
H
- Hardware
- The physical parts of a computer that you can touch, like the screen, the keyboard and the chips inside.
- HTML
- A language used to describe what a web page looks like and what is on it.
I
- Internet
- A huge network that connects computers all over the world so they can send information to each other.
L
- Loop
- A part of a program that repeats the same steps until told to stop.
M
- Malware
- A program written to cause harm, like stealing information or breaking a device.
- Memory
- The part of a computer that holds what it is working on right now. It is emptied when the computer turns off.
N
- Network
- A group of computers connected together so they can share information.
P
- Password
- A secret word or phrase you use to prove an account belongs to you.
- Phishing
- A trick where someone sends a fake message pretending to be from a real company, to steal your information.
- Pixel
- One tiny dot of color. Screens are made of thousands of pixels put together.
- Processor
- The part of a computer that does the thinking, following instructions and doing calculations. Also called the CPU.
- Program
- A set of instructions written for a computer to follow, also called software.
R
- Router
- A device that sends information between your home network and the internet.
S
- Server
- A computer whose job is to store information or send it to other computers when they ask for it.
- Software
- Programs that run on a computer, as opposed to the physical hardware.
- Storage
- The part of a computer that keeps files even after it is turned off, like a hard drive.
T
- Two-factor authentication
- A second step to prove it is really you logging in, like a code sent to your phone, in addition to your password.
U
- Upload
- To send a file from your device onto the internet or into the cloud.
- Username
- The name you use to identify your account, along with your password.
V
- Variable
- A labeled place in a program that holds a piece of information, which can change while the program runs.
W
- Website
- A set of connected pages on the internet that you can visit with a browser.
- Wi-Fi
- A way for devices to connect to a network using radio waves instead of a cable.