One of the most difficult things about technical recruiting is understanding all the technical terms that are being used. Technical terms can vary depending on the team you’re talking to or the project you’re working on. This can make it difficult to keep up with the conversation, especially if you’re new to tech.

Recruiters need to be up-to-date on the latest technical jargon, especially if they’re looking to break into the tech industry or hire tech talent. Technical terms can be difficult to understand and keep track of, but knowing their meanings is essential to being able to communicate effectively with clients, candidates, and colleagues.

This tech dictionary provides simple, plain-English definitions for 130 essential technical terms. It covers common acronyms, programming languages, software platforms, and more. Keep this resource handy the next time you’re feeling lost in a meeting or interview—you’re sure to find the answers you need here.

Technical Terms For Modern Recruiters

The following technical terms will be particularly relevant for anyone working in recruiting, HR, or talent acquisition.

What is a Technical Term?

A technical term is a word or phrase with a specialized meaning that is not usually understood outside of a particular field. Technical terms are often used in fields such as science, engineering, medicine, and computing.

Technical Terms All Technical Recruiters Should Know

You don’t have to know all of them, but being familiar with these technical terms will make you a more effective recruiter.

1. API: Application Programming Interface. A set of rules that allow software programs to interact with each other.
2. CRM: Customer Relationship Management. A system for managing a company’s interactions with current and future customers.
3. CSS: Cascading Style Sheets. A style sheet language used for describing the look and formatting of a document written in a markup language.
4. HTML: Hypertext Markup Language. A standard markup language for creating web pages and web applications.
5. HTTP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The protocol used to transfer data on the World Wide Web.
6. IaaS: Infrastructure as a Service. A type of cloud computing that delivers computer infrastructure on an as-needed basis.
7. PaaS: Platform as a Service. A type of cloud computing that delivers a platform for developing, testing, and deploying applications on the Internet.
8. SaaS: Software as a Service. A type of cloud computing that delivers software over the Internet.
9. SQL: Structured Query Language. A standard database query language used for storing, retrieving, and manipulating data.
10. UI: User Interface. The space where interaction between humans and machines occurs.
11. UX: User Experience. The overall experience of a person using a particular product, system, or service.
12. VPN: Virtual Private Network. A private network that uses public infrastructure to connect remote sites or users.
13. XML: Extensible Markup Language. A markup language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable.
14. Agile: A software development methodology that focuses on short development cycles, frequent releases, and close collaboration between developers and customers.
15. Algorithm: A set of instructions for solving a problem or accomplishing a task.
16. Big data: A term used to describe data sets that are so large or complex that traditional data processing techniques are inadequate.
17. Binary: A numbering system that uses two digits (0 and 1) to represent all numbers.
18. Bug: An error in a computer program.
19. Byte: A unit of digital information that is eight bits long.
20. Compiler: A program that converts source code into machine code.
21. Cookie: A small piece of data sent from a website and stored on the user’s computer by the user’s web browser.
22. Crawler: A program that retrieves data from the World Wide Web.
23. Cybersecurity: The practice of protecting electronic information from unauthorized access or theft.
24. Data mining: The process of extracting valuable information from large data sets.
25. Debugging: The process of finding and removing errors from a computer program.
26. Encryption: The process of transforming readable data into an unreadable format.
27. Firewall: A system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network.
28. Freeware: Software that is available for free.
29. Hacker: A person who writes code or breaks into computers with malicious intent.
30. Hardware: Physical components of a computer system (e.g., the processor, memory, and disk drives).
31. Identity theft: The fraudulent act of using another person’s personal information (e.g., Social Security number or credit card number) for financial gain.
32. ISP: Internet Service Provider. A company that provides customers with access to the Internet.
33. Keyboard shortcut: A combination of keys that can be used to perform a task that would otherwise require a mouse or other pointing device.
34. Lossless compression: A type of data compression in which no data is lost during the compression process.
35. Lossy compression: A type of data compression in which some data is lost during the compression process.
36. Malware: Software designed to damage or disable a computer system.
37. Memory: The part of a computer that stores data and programs.
38. Motherboard: The main circuit board in a computer.
39. Open source: A type of software whose source code is available to the public for use or modification.
40. Operating system: Software that manages the hardware and software resources of a computer.
41. Packet: A unit of data sent over a network.
42. Password: A secret word or phrase used to authenticate a user’s identity.
43. Patch: A small piece of software designed to fix a problem or add a new feature to an existing program.
44. Phishing: The fraudulent act of sending emails purporting to be from a legitimate company in order to collect personal information from the recipient.
45. Pixel: The smallest unit of a digital image.
46. Plug-in: A software component that adds a specific feature to an existing program.
47. Portable document format (PDF): A file format developed by Adobe that can be used to represent documents in a platform-independent manner.
48. Program: A set of instructions for a computer to follow.
49. Random access memory (RAM): Memory that can be accessed randomly, meaning any byte of memory can be accessed without having to access the previous bytes in memory first.
50. Read-only memory (ROM): Memory that can only be read, not written to.
51. Recursion: A type of algorithm in which a function calls itself repeatedly until a certain condition is met.
52. Registry: A database used by the Windows operating system to store configuration information.
53. Rootkit: A type of malware that is designed to conceal its presence on a computer system.
54. Router: A device that forwards data packets between computer networks.
55. Search engine: A program that searches for and indexes websites.
56. Security: The practice of protecting electronic information from unauthorized access or theft.
57. Source code: The human-readable code written in a programming language that can be converted into machine code by a compiler.
58. Spyware: Software that collects personal information about a user without the user’s knowledge or consent.
59. Trojan horse: A type of malware that masquerades as a legitimate program or file.
60. Uniform resource locator (URL): The address of a website.
61. Virus: A type of malware that replicates itself by infecting other programs or files.
62. Vulnerability: A weakness in a computer system that can be exploited by attackers.
63. Warez: Illegal copies of copyrighted software.
64. Worm: A type of malware that is designed to spread itself by infecting other computers.
65. Zero-day exploit: An attack that exploits a previously unknown vulnerability in a computer system.
66. Application server: An application server is a type of server that is designed to host applications.
67. Big data: Big data refers to data sets that are so large or complex that traditional data processing techniques are inadequate.
68. Cloud computing: Cloud computing is a model for delivering information technology services in which resources are provided as a service over the Internet.
69. Containerization: Containerization is a method of packaging software so that it can be deployed and run in multiple environments without modification.
70. Database: A database is a collection of data that can be accessed by computers.
71. Data mining: Data mining is the process of extracting patterns from large data sets.
72. Development environment: A development environment is a set of tools and services that are used by developers to create software applications.
73. Distributed computing: Distributed computing is a model in which computing tasks are divided among a network of computers.
74. E-commerce: E-commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet.
75. Edge computing: Edge computing is a model in which data processing and storage are performed at or near the edge of the network, instead of in a central location.
76. IoT: The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the growing network of physical devices that are connected to the Internet.
77. Middleware: Middleware is software that provides services to applications.
78. Mobile computing: Mobile computing is the use of computing devices, such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets, that are portable and can be used in a variety of locations.
79. Natural language processing: Natural language processing (NLP) is the ability of computers to understand human language.
80. Operating system: An operating system is software that manages the hardware and software resources of a computer.
81. PaaS: Platform as a service (PaaS) is a type of cloud computing platform that provides a deployment environment for applications.
82. QA: Quality assurance (QA) is the process of ensuring that software meets the quality standards of the company.
83. SaaS: Software as a service (SaaS) is a type of cloud computing in which software applications are offered to customers on a subscription basis.
84. Scalability: Scalability is the ability of a system to handle increased load by adding additional resources.
85. Security: Security refers to the measures that are taken to protect against unauthorized access, use, or modification of data.
86. Service-oriented architecture: Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a style of software design in which services are provided to applications by other applications.
87. Software development kit: A software development kit (SDK) is a set of tools that allows developers to create software applications.
88. Virtualization: Virtualization is the creation of a virtual version of something, such as a computer, a server, or a network.
89. PII: Personally identifiable information (PII) is any data that can be used to identify an individual.
90. PHI: Protected health information (PHI) is any data that can be used to identify an individual and that is related to their health.
91. 2FA: Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a security measure that requires users to provide two pieces of evidence to verify their identity.
92. SSO: Single sign-on (SSO) is a authentication method in which users only have to enter their credentials once to gain access to multiple applications.
93. RBAC: Role-based access control (RBAC) is a type of access control in which permissions are assigned to users based on their role in the organization.
94. LDAP: Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is a protocol for accessing directories.
95. SAML: Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) is an XML-based standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data.
96. OAuth: OAuth is an open standard for authorization that allows users to grant third-party applications access to their resources without sharing their credentials.
97. SDLC: The software development life cycle (SDLC) is the process by which software is developed.
98. Agile: Agile is a software development methodology that focuses on delivering high-quality software quickly and efficiently.
99. Waterfall: The waterfall model is a linear software development methodology in which each phase of the project must be completed before the next one can begin.
100. Sprints: A sprint is a time-boxed period of time during which specific tasks must be completed.
101. Kanban: Kanban is a method of managing work by visualizing it.
102. Scrum: Scrum is an Agile methodology for managing work.
103. Stand-ups: A stand-up is a daily meeting in which team members share what they have been working on and what obstacles they have encountered.
104. Retrospectives: A retrospective is a meeting in which team members reflect on what went well and what could be improved.
105. Unit testing: Unit testing is a type of testing that focuses on individual units of code.
106. Integration testing: Integration testing is a type of testing that focuses on the interaction between software components.
107. Functional testing: Functional testing is a type of testing that focuses on the functionality of the software.
108. Acceptance testing: Acceptance testing is a type of testing that focuses on whether the software meets the user’s needs.
109. Test-driven development: Test-driven development (TDD) is a software development methodology in which tests are written before code is written.
110. Behavior-driven development: Behavior-driven development (BDD) is a software development methodology in which tests are written based on the behavior of the software.
111. Continuous integration: Continuous integration (CI) is a software development practice in which developers regularly merge their code changes into a shared repository.
112. Continuous delivery: Continuous delivery (CD) is a software development practice in which code changes are automatically deployed to production.
113. DevOps: DevOps is a set of practices that automates the processes between software development and operations.
114. Microservices: Microservices are small, independent services that work together to form a larger application.
115. Water-scrum-fall: Water-scrum-fall is an Agile methodology that combines the best aspects of the waterfall and scrum models.
116. Pair programming: Pair programming is a software development technique in which two developers work together at one computer.
117. Code review: A code review is a process in which developers examine each other’s code to find and fix errors.Version control: Version control is a system that tracks changes to files.
118. Git: Git is a version control system.
119. GitHub: GitHub is a web-based platform for hosting and collaborating on code repositories.
120. Bitbucket: Bitbucket is a web-based platform for hosting and collaborating on code repositories.
121. Refactoring: Refactoring is the process of modifying code to improve its readability, maintainability, or performance without changing its functionality.
122. Design patterns: A design pattern is a reusable solution to a common software engineering problem.
123. Anti-patterns: An anti-pattern is a common software engineering practice that is considered to be harmful.
124. Object-oriented programming: Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm that uses objects and their interactions to model a problem.
125. Functional programming: Functional programming (FP) is a programming paradigm that focuses on functions and their composition.
126. Procedural programming: Procedural programming (PP) is a programming paradigm that focuses on procedures and their execution.
127. Structured programming: Structured programming (SP) is a programming paradigm that uses a structured control flow to model a problem.
128. Event-driven programming: Event-driven programming (EDP) is a programming paradigm that uses events and their handlers to model a problem.
129. Model-view-controller: Model-view-controller (MVC) is an architectural pattern that separates the components of a software application into three parts: the model, the view, and the controller.
130. Service-oriented architecture: Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is an architectural style that defines the components of a software application as services.

This list will continue to be updated as we add more terms! Check back soon for more technical jargon.

The Bottom Line

As a technical recruiter, it’s important to be able to speak the same language as the developers you’re working with. By familiarizing yourself with these 130 essential technical terms, you’ll be one step closer to being a true partner in the hiring process—and making sure everyone is on the same page when it comes time to write code.

Keep in mind that these terms represent just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to technical jargon. In order to really become a Technical Recruiter, you need to be able to understand the ins and outs of the software development process.

And, technical move fast. In order to keep up with the ever-changing landscape, you need to be constantly learning new terms and keeping up with the latest technology trends.