Reference for All Chapters
- 📚 Course Home: AZD For Beginners
- 📖 Learn Basics: Chapter 1: AZD Basics
- 🤖 AI Terms: Chapter 2: AI-First Development
This comprehensive glossary provides definitions for terms, concepts, and acronyms used in Azure Developer CLI and Azure cloud development. Essential reference for understanding technical documentation, troubleshooting issues, and communicating effectively about azd projects and Azure services.
By using this glossary, you will:
- Understand essential Azure Developer CLI terminology and concepts
- Master Azure cloud development vocabulary and technical terms
- Reference Infrastructure as Code and deployment terminology efficiently
- Comprehend Azure service names, acronyms, and their purposes
- Access definitions for troubleshooting and debugging terminology
- Learn advanced Azure architecture and development concepts
With regular reference to this glossary, you will be able to:
- Communicate effectively using proper Azure Developer CLI terminology
- Understand technical documentation and error messages more clearly
- Navigate Azure services and concepts with confidence
- Troubleshoot issues using appropriate technical vocabulary
- Contribute to team discussions with accurate technical language
- Expand your Azure cloud development knowledge systematically
ARM Template
Azure Resource Manager template. JSON-based Infrastructure as Code format used to define and deploy Azure resources declaratively.
App Service
Azure's platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering for hosting web applications, REST APIs, and mobile backends without managing infrastructure.
Application Insights
Azure's application performance monitoring (APM) service that provides deep insights into application performance, availability, and usage.
Azure CLI
Command-line interface for managing Azure resources. Used by azd for authentication and some operations.
Azure Developer CLI (azd)
Developer-centric command-line tool that accelerates the process of building and deploying applications to Azure using templates and Infrastructure as Code.
azure.yaml
The main configuration file for an azd project that defines services, infrastructure, and deployment hooks.
Azure Resource Manager (ARM)
Azure's deployment and management service that provides a management layer for creating, updating, and deleting resources.
Bicep
Domain-specific language (DSL) developed by Microsoft for deploying Azure resources. Provides simpler syntax than ARM templates while compiling to ARM.
Build
The process of compiling source code, installing dependencies, and preparing applications for deployment.
Blue-Green Deployment
Deployment strategy that uses two identical production environments (blue and green) to minimize downtime and risk.
Container Apps
Azure's serverless container service that enables running containerized applications without managing complex infrastructure.
CI/CD
Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment. Automated practices for integrating code changes and deploying applications.
Cosmos DB
Azure's globally distributed, multi-model database service that provides comprehensive SLAs for throughput, latency, availability, and consistency.
Configuration
Settings and parameters that control application behavior and deployment options.
Deployment
The process of installing and configuring applications and their dependencies on target infrastructure.
Docker
Platform for developing, shipping, and running applications using containerization technology.
Dockerfile
Text file containing instructions for building a Docker container image.
Environment
A deployment target that represents a specific instance of your application (e.g., development, staging, production).
Environment Variables
Configuration values stored as key-value pairs that applications can access at runtime.
Endpoint
URL or network address where an application or service can be accessed.
Function App
Azure's serverless compute service that enables running event-driven code without managing infrastructure.
GitHub Actions
CI/CD platform integrated with GitHub repositories for automating workflows.
Git
Distributed version control system used for tracking changes in source code.
Hooks
Custom scripts or commands that run at specific points during the deployment lifecycle (preprovision, postprovision, predeploy, postdeploy).
Host
The Azure service type where an application will be deployed (e.g., appservice, containerapp, function).
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Practice of defining and managing infrastructure through code rather than manual processes.
Init
The process of initializing a new azd project, typically from a template.
JSON
JavaScript Object Notation. Data interchange format commonly used for configuration files and API responses.
JWT
JSON Web Token. Standard for securely transmitting information between parties as a JSON object.
Key Vault
Azure's service for securely storing and managing secrets, keys, and certificates.
Kusto Query Language (KQL)
Query language used for analyzing data in Azure Monitor, Application Insights, and other Azure services.
Load Balancer
Service that distributes incoming network traffic across multiple servers or instances.
Log Analytics
Azure service for collecting, analyzing, and acting on telemetry data from cloud and on-premises environments.
Managed Identity
Azure feature that provides Azure services with an automatically managed identity for authenticating to other Azure services.
Microservices
Architectural approach where applications are built as a collection of small, independent services.
Monitor
Azure's unified monitoring solution that provides full-stack observability across applications and infrastructure.
Node.js
JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine for building server-side applications.
npm
Package manager for Node.js that manages dependencies and packages.
Output
Values returned from infrastructure deployment that can be used by applications or other resources.
Package
The process of preparing application code and dependencies for deployment.
Parameters
Input values passed to infrastructure templates to customize deployments.
PostgreSQL
Open-source relational database system supported as a managed service in Azure.
Provisioning
The process of creating and configuring Azure resources defined in infrastructure templates.
Quota
Limits on the amount of resources that can be created in an Azure subscription or region.
Resource Group
Logical container for Azure resources that share the same lifecycle, permissions, and policies.
Resource Token
Unique string generated by azd to ensure resource names are unique across deployments.
REST API
Architectural style for designing networked applications using HTTP methods.
Rollback
Process of reverting to a previous version of an application or infrastructure configuration.
Service
A component of your application defined in azure.yaml (e.g., web frontend, API backend, database).
SKU
Stock Keeping Unit. Represents different service tiers or performance levels for Azure resources.
SQL Database
Azure's managed relational database service based on Microsoft SQL Server.
Static Web Apps
Azure service for building and deploying full-stack web applications from source code repositories.
Storage Account
Azure service that provides cloud storage for data objects including blobs, files, queues, and tables.
Subscription
Azure account container that holds resource groups and resources, with associated billing and access management.
Template
Pre-built project structure containing application code, infrastructure definitions, and configuration for common scenarios.
Terraform
Open-source Infrastructure as Code tool that supports multiple cloud providers including Azure.
Traffic Manager
Azure's DNS-based traffic load balancer for distributing traffic across global Azure regions.
URI
Uniform Resource Identifier. String that identifies a particular resource.
URL
Uniform Resource Locator. Type of URI that specifies where a resource is located and how to retrieve it.
Virtual Network (VNet)
Fundamental building block for private networks in Azure, providing isolation and segmentation.
VS Code
Visual Studio Code. Popular code editor with excellent Azure and azd integration.
Webhook
HTTP callback triggered by specific events, commonly used in CI/CD pipelines.
What-if
Azure feature that shows what changes would be made by a deployment without actually executing it.
YAML
YAML Ain't Markup Language. Human-readable data serialization standard used for configuration files like azure.yaml.
Zone
Physically separate locations within an Azure region that provide redundancy and high availability.
| Acronym | Full Form | Description |
|---|---|---|
| AAD | Azure Active Directory | Identity and access management service |
| ACR | Azure Container Registry | Container image registry service |
| AKS | Azure Kubernetes Service | Managed Kubernetes service |
| API | Application Programming Interface | Set of protocols for building software |
| ARM | Azure Resource Manager | Azure's deployment and management service |
| CDN | Content Delivery Network | Distributed network of servers |
| CI/CD | Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment | Automated development practices |
| CLI | Command Line Interface | Text-based user interface |
| DNS | Domain Name System | System for translating domain names to IP addresses |
| HTTPS | Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure | Secure version of HTTP |
| IaC | Infrastructure as Code | Managing infrastructure through code |
| JSON | JavaScript Object Notation | Data interchange format |
| JWT | JSON Web Token | Token format for secure information transmission |
| KQL | Kusto Query Language | Query language for Azure data services |
| RBAC | Role-Based Access Control | Access control method based on user roles |
| REST | Representational State Transfer | Architectural style for web services |
| SDK | Software Development Kit | Collection of development tools |
| SLA | Service Level Agreement | Commitment to service availability/performance |
| SQL | Structured Query Language | Language for managing relational databases |
| SSL/TLS | Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security | Cryptographic protocols |
| URI | Uniform Resource Identifier | String identifying a resource |
| URL | Uniform Resource Locator | Type of URI specifying resource location |
| VM | Virtual Machine | Emulation of a computer system |
| VNet | Virtual Network | Private network in Azure |
| YAML | YAML Ain't Markup Language | Data serialization standard |
| Common Name | Official Azure Service Name | azd Host Type |
|---|---|---|
| Web App | Azure App Service | appservice |
| API App | Azure App Service | appservice |
| Container App | Azure Container Apps | containerapp |
| Function | Azure Functions | function |
| Static Site | Azure Static Web Apps | staticwebapp |
| Database | Azure Database for PostgreSQL | postgres |
| NoSQL DB | Azure Cosmos DB | cosmosdb |
| Storage | Azure Storage Account | storage |
| Cache | Azure Cache for Redis | redis |
| Search | Azure Cognitive Search | search |
| Messaging | Azure Service Bus | servicebus |
- Hot Reload: Automatically updating applications during development without restart
- Build Pipeline: Automated process for building and testing code
- Deployment Slot: Staging environment within an App Service
- Environment Parity: Keeping development, staging, and production environments similar
- Managed Identity: Azure feature providing automatic credential management
- Key Vault: Secure storage for secrets, keys, and certificates
- RBAC: Role-based access control for Azure resources
- Network Security Group: Virtual firewall for controlling network traffic
- Telemetry: Automated collection of measurements and data
- Application Performance Monitoring (APM): Monitoring software performance
- Log Analytics: Service for collecting and analyzing log data
- Alert Rules: Automated notifications based on metrics or conditions
- Blue-Green Deployment: Zero-downtime deployment strategy
- Canary Deployment: Gradual rollout to subset of users
- Rolling Update: Sequential replacement of application instances
- Rollback: Reverting to previous application version
Usage Tip: Use Ctrl+F to quickly search for specific terms in this glossary. Terms are cross-referenced where applicable.
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