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Andrew M
Andrew M

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100 Coding Terms Explained Like You’re 5

#discuss #beginners #programming #humor

Sometimes the best way to learn hard concepts is to explain them simply. Here are 100 programming and tech terms — explained like you're five.

Programming Concepts

  1. Variable – A box where you keep stuff like numbers or words so you can use them later.
  2. Constant – A box that you’re not allowed to change once you put something in it.
  3. Function – A machine where you put something in and get something back.
  4. Parameter – The stuff you give to the machine (function) so it knows what to do.
  5. Return Value – What the machine gives you back after doing its job.
  6. Loop – Doing the same thing again and again until you're told to stop.
  7. If Statement – A choice: “If this is true, do that. If not, do something else.”
  8. Boolean – Just “yes” or “no” in computer language.
  9. Array – A row of boxes, each with a number and something inside.
  10. Object – A toy with a name tag and a bunch of labels that tell you things about it.

Programming Tools

  1. Compiler – A translator that turns your whole story into computer-speak at once.
  2. Interpreter – A translator that reads your story line by line and explains it as you go.
  3. IDE (Integrated Development Environment) – A big coloring book and toolkit for writing code.
  4. Debugger – A magnifying glass to find mistakes in your story.
  5. Text Editor – A fancy notebook where you write your code.

Data & Storage

  1. Database – A big, organized closet for saving and finding stuff.
  2. Table – A grid in a database, like a spreadsheet.
  3. Row – One line in a table, like one person’s info.
  4. Column – A list of the same kind of thing (like names or ages).
  5. Index – A shortcut list to find things faster.
  6. Primary Key – A special label that makes sure nothing gets mixed up.
  7. Foreign Key – A way to link two tables like holding hands.

Web Development

  1. HTML – The skeleton of a website — it builds the structure.
  2. CSS – The clothes and paint that make your website pretty.
  3. JavaScript – The magic that makes your website do things when you click or type.
  4. Frontend – Everything you can see and touch on a website.
  5. Backend – The secret worker behind the curtain who makes things happen.
  6. API – Like a restaurant menu: you ask for something and get it if it’s on the menu.
  7. JSON – A way to write info that looks like a story computers understand.
  8. AJAX – A way for your website to ask the kitchen for more food without leaving the table.
  9. Cookie – A little snack a website gives you to remember who you are.
  10. Session – The time you spend with a website until you close the tab.
  11. Token – A secret code you use to prove who you are.

Coding Principles

  1. DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) – If you keep saying the same thing, write it once and reuse it.
  2. KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) – Don’t make it harder than it needs to be.
  3. YAGNI (You Aren’t Gonna Need It) – Don’t build something unless you really need it.
  4. Abstraction – Hiding the messy stuff so you only see the useful buttons.
  5. Encapsulation – Wrapping stuff up so people can use it without breaking it.
  6. Inheritance – When one toy gets traits from another toy (like parents and kids).
  7. Polymorphism – When one button works slightly differently depending on the toy.

Version Control (Git)

  1. Git – A time machine for your code.
  2. Repository – A big folder where your code lives.
  3. Commit – Taking a picture of your work so you can come back to it.
  4. Push – Sending your picture to the shared gallery.
  5. Pull – Getting other people’s pictures to your own gallery.
  6. Branch – A separate trail where you can try things without messing up the main path.
  7. Merge – Putting two trails together into one again.
  8. Conflict – When two people colored the same spot differently.

Cloud & DevOps

  1. Cloud – Someone else’s big computer that you can use over the internet.
  2. Server – A computer that gives you things when you ask.
  3. Client – Your computer asking for things.
  4. Container – A box that carries your app and everything it needs.
  5. Docker – A tool that helps you pack your app in a container.
  6. CI/CD (Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery) – Robots that test and deliver your code automatically.
  7. Environment – The room where your app lives (like a playground or classroom).

Errors & Testing

  1. Bug – A mistake that makes your app do weird stuff.
  2. Crash – When your app gives up and stops.
  3. Exception – A surprise the computer didn’t like.
  4. Unit Test – A little quiz for one tiny piece of your code.
  5. Integration Test – A group project test to make sure all the parts work together.
  6. Regression – When you fix something and something else breaks like whack-a-mole.

Data Structures

  1. Stack – A stack of pancakes — last one you put on is the first one off.
  2. Queue – A line at the ice cream truck — first in, first out.
  3. Linked List – A treasure map where each clue tells you where the next clue is.
  4. Tree – A big family tree of boxes and sub-boxes.
  5. Hash Table – A magical filing cabinet that knows where everything is instantly.

Algorithms

  1. Sorting – Putting things in order (like alphabetizing your Pokémon cards).
  2. Searching – Looking for something in a big pile.
  3. Recursion – When something solves a problem by doing a smaller version of itself.
  4. Big O – A way to describe how long your code takes as the problem gets bigger.
  5. Greedy Algorithm – Always picking the biggest cookie first, without thinking ahead.

Security

  1. Encryption – Turning a message into a secret code.
  2. Decryption – Turning the secret code back into the real message.
  3. Authentication – Proving who you are.
  4. Authorization – Proving you’re allowed to do something.
  5. Firewall – A guard at the door saying “You can’t come in.”
  6. Phishing – A trick where someone pretends to be nice but is trying to steal from you.

Miscellaneous

  1. Syntax – The grammar rules of coding.
  2. Runtime – When the code is actually doing stuff, not just sitting there.
  3. Refactor – Cleaning your messy code without changing what it does.
  4. Open Source – Code you can look at, use, and help make better.
  5. Framework – A kit with pre-built tools so you don’t have to start from scratch.
  6. Library – A collection of code that helps you do stuff faster.
  7. Dependency – Something your code needs to work.
  8. CLI (Command Line Interface) – Talking to your computer using typed instructions.
  9. GUI (Graphical User Interface) – Clicking buttons instead of typing commands.
  10. Cache – A little hiding spot where your computer saves stuff so it can load faster next time.
  11. Latency – The time it takes for your computer to say “hello” and get a reply.
  12. Bandwidth – How much stuff you can send or get at once.
  13. Thread – A worker that can do one task at a time.
  14. Process – A whole team of workers doing their job.
  15. Concurrency – Multiple workers doing things at the same time (or pretending to).
  16. Parallelism – Workers really doing things at the same time, not just pretending.
  17. Garbage Collection – The janitor that cleans up stuff you’re not using anymore.
  18. Heap – A big pile where your stuff goes when you're not sure how long you’ll need it.
  19. Stack (Memory) – A short pile of stuff that disappears fast when you're done with it.
  20. Event Listener – A person watching and waiting for something to happen, like a doorbell.
  21. Callback – A note that says “When you're done, do this next.”
  22. Promise – A pinky swear that says “I'll do it later.”
  23. Asynchronous – Doing things in the background so you don’t have to wait.

Thanks for reading! Let me know which ones made you smile — or which you'd explain even better.

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