Technology Made Simple

Confusing tech terms explained simply

New to tech? Start here

HTML CSS JavaScript The Internet Servers Websites Cloud API Git AI
Quick Glossary

HTML

The building blocks of web pages

Frontend

CSS

How websites get their style

Frontend

JavaScript

The language that makes websites interactive

Frontend

Frontend vs Backend

The part you see, and the machinery you don't

Frontend

Programming Languages

How humans write instructions computers can follow

Concepts

URLs

What every part of a web address actually means

Networking

Browsers

How a browser turns code into pages you can see

Frontend

DNS

How website names get turned into addresses

Networking

IP Addresses

The unique number that tells data where to go

Networking

IP Packets

The small, addressed pieces all internet data travels as

Networking

The Internet

How computers connect across the world

Networking

Wi-Fi & Routers

The hardware that gets you online at home

Networking

HTTPS & Encryption

What the padlock icon in your browser actually means

Networking

Servers

The computers that power the internet

Backend

Websites

How websites work from start to finish

Frontend

App vs Website

Why some things are apps and others are just websites

Frontend

CDN

How websites load fast no matter where you are

Networking

API

How apps talk to each other

Backend

Git

How developers save and share code

Backend

Terminal

How to talk to your computer by typing instead of clicking

Backend

Cloud Computing

What "the cloud" actually means

Backend

Databases

Where all your data actually goes when you sign up

Backend

Cloud Storage vs Backup

Why syncing your files isn't the same as backing them up

Backend

Cybersecurity

How your digital life gets protected

Security

Firewall

The checkpoint between your device and the internet

Security

Malware & Viruses

The different tools attackers use to get onto your device

Security

VPN

The encrypted tunnel that hides your traffic

Security

Cookies

What you actually agreed to when you clicked "Accept"

Security

Local Storage

The other place websites save data in your browser

Security

Two-Factor Authentication

Why apps keep texting you codes at login

Security

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Learn what AI really is and how it works

Concepts

Machine Learning

How AI actually learns from examples

Concepts

LLMs & Chatbots

How tools like ChatGPT actually generate their answers

Concepts

Algorithms

The step-by-step recipes computers follow

Concepts

Blockchain

The shared ledger no one can quietly rewrite

Concepts

Open Source

Software built in public, shared like a recipe

Concepts

Seen all the pieces? Now see how they connect.

Every topic above is part of the same story - what actually happens when you visit a website.

Here's where it all fits together