Glossary

Vibe coding glossary

Plain-English definitions of 52 terms you'll meet when building software with AI.

A

AEO: Answer engine optimization: writing content so it can be used as a direct answer.
agent memory: What an AI agent reads before it works: your documents plus lessons saved from your feedback.
AI agent: Software where an AI model decides the next step and uses tools you allow (like your CRM or email) to finish a task, asking a person before anything risky.
API: Application Programming Interface: a set of doors other software can knock on to ask for data or actions.
API key: A secret password that lets your app use an AI service. Never put it in page code.
Authentication: Proving who you are, usually with an email and password or a Google login.
Authorization: Deciding what a logged-in person is allowed to see and do.

backend: The part of an app that runs on a server: rules, data, and secret keys.

checkpoint: A quick test you do after each build step, before moving on.
CRM: Customer Relationship Management: one screen where a business tracks every lead and follow-up.
CSS: The styling: colors, fonts, spacing, layout.
customer portal: A Stripe-hosted page where subscribers update their card or cancel.

database: An organized, permanent filing cabinet for your app's information.
Deploying: Copying your finished app to a server that's always on, so anyone can reach it.
deployment: Putting your app on a server so the public can use it.
DNS: The internet's address book that connects a domain name to the right server.
domain: A web address like clientbusiness.com, rented yearly from a registrar.

environment variable: A setting stored outside the code, often used for secret keys. Many platforms call these secrets.
evals: Saved example tasks with what a good result looks like, rerun after every change to check an AI feature still works. Also called tests.

fine-tuning: Retraining an AI model on your own examples. Most business agents don't need it; lessons and documents are simpler and cheaper.
frontend: The part of an app people see and click.

GEO: Generative engine optimization: making content easy for AI assistants to read, trust and cite.
guardrails: Rules and limits that keep AI safe: approvals, step and cost limits, logs and a pause switch.

Hosting: The always-on computer (server) where the website or app actually runs.
HTML: The structure of a page: headings, paragraphs, buttons.
HTTPS: The secure version of a web address. It encrypts traffic and shows a padlock in the browser.
human in the loop: A person reviews or approves an AI's work before it counts, especially anything risky.

JavaScript: The behavior: what happens when you click, type, or scroll.
JSON-LD: A block of labeled facts about a page, written in a format search engines and AI tools read directly.

knowledge base: The business's own FAQs, policies, prices, and hours, written down for the AI to read.

LLM: Large language model: the kind of AI that reads and writes text, such as Claude.

MCP: Model Context Protocol: an open standard for connecting AI apps to other tools and data, like a USB-C port for AI.
multi-tenant: One app serving many separate customer organizations, each seeing only their own data.

OCR: Optical character recognition: turning text in images or scanned documents into editable text.

Payment Link: A shareable Stripe checkout page you create in the Stripe Dashboard without code.
project brief: A short description of the whole project that you paste before your first build prompt.
prompt: The instruction you type to an AI tool.

RAG: Retrieval-augmented generation: finding the most relevant documents and giving them to the AI before it answers.
rate limiting: Capping how often someone can repeat an action, such as login attempts, to stop abuse.
relationship: A connection between two tables, like 'each order belongs to one customer.'
responsive design: A layout that adapts to phones, tablets and computers.
robots.txt: A tiny file that tells crawlers which pages they may read.

SaaS: Software as a service: software customers use online and usually pay for by subscription.
SEO: Search engine optimization: helping search engines find, understand and rank your pages.
shadow mode: An AI agent runs and logs what it would do, but doesn't do it. Used to build trust before launch.
sitemap.xml: A list of every page on your site, written for search engines.
Stripe: A payment company that securely handles card payments so your app never touches card numbers.
structured data: Labeled information added to a page so machines understand what it is, like a business, article or course.

tool calling: When an AI model asks your app to run one of the actions you allow, like looking up a customer.
trigger: What starts an automation or agent run: a schedule, a new form entry, an email or a webhook.

vibe coding: Building software by describing what you want to an AI coding tool in plain English and testing what it builds.

webhook: An automatic message another service sends to your app when something happens.