Technological abbreviations
Tech abbreviations are universal shorthand. They're used for precision (like HTML for a specific markup language) and efficiency (saying CPU instead of "central processing unit"). Simply put, they’re the essential jargon that lets professionals communicate complex ideas quickly and accurately within their field.
Technological abbreviations by categories:
1. Hardware & Components
Rig – A complete computer setup, especially for gaming or high-performance work.
Box – Any computer, server, or physical unit. ("Spin up a new box.")
Pizza Box – A standard 1U or 2U rack-mounted server.
Toaster – A cheap, slow, or underpowered computer.
Beige Box – A generic, boring desktop PC.
Brick – A device rendered useless (hardware or software failure).
NIC – Network Interface Card (pronounced "nick").
Spindle – A traditional hard disk drive (HDD).
Heatsink – A component that dissipates heat (also used metaphorically for anything that cools down a situation).
Magic Smoke – The hypothetical substance inside electronics that makes them work; if it escapes, the device is dead.
The Cloud – Jokingly refers to other people's computers/servers.
Dongle – Any small adapter or hardware key.
Blinky Lights – Status LEDs on servers or network gear.
Port – A physical connection point (also verb: "to port" code).
Flashing – Updating firmware (EEPROM/BIOS).
Under the Hood – Inside the hardware or low-level code.
Dust Bunny – Accumulated dust inside a machine causing overheating.
Spider – A rat's nest of cables.
Toner – Refers to the conductive toner from a printer cartridge used to trace cables in walls. ("Use the toner on that line.")
On-Prem – On-premises hardware, as opposed to cloud.
Hot Swap – Replacing a component without powering down.
Bleeding Edge – Even newer and riskier than "cutting edge" tech.
Legacy – Old hardware that's still in use (often a euphemism for "painfully outdated").
Whitebox – A generic, unbranded server built from components.
Zombie – A device on the network that shouldn't be or is compromised.
Chassis – The frame or case holding components.
Coffee Lake / Rocket Lake – Code names for CPU architectures (Intel), used as shorthand for generations.
SFF – Small Form Factor PC.
Dogfooding – Using your own company's hardware internally.
The Rack – The server rack itself; the physical home for gear.
2. Software & Development
App – Any application.
Prog – Program or programmer.
Dev – Developer.
Devvy – Development environment.
Code – The source code itself (also a verb).
Src – Source code directory (/src).
Lib – Library.
Bin – Binaries or executable directory.
Config – Configuration file.
Var – Variable directory.
Pkg – Package.
Dep – Dependency.
Spec – Specification or test file.
Glob – A global pattern for matching file names.
Regex – Regular Expression (often "rejex").
String – A sequence of text characters.
Int – Integer.
Bool – Boolean (true/false).
Float – Floating-point number.
Func – Function.
Var – Variable.
Const – Constant.
Obj – Object.
Arr – Array.
Ptr – Pointer.
Err – Error.
Debug – The process of removing bugs (also a verb).
Crash – A sudden system failure.
Bug – A software defect.
Patch – A small update to fix a bug.
3. Web & Networking
Net – The Internet or a network.
Web – The World Wide Web.
Site – A website.
URL – Uniform Resource Locator (web address).
IP – Internet Protocol address.
DNS – Domain Name System.
HTTP – Hypertext Transfer Protocol.
HTTPS – HTTP Secure.
SSL – Secure Sockets Layer (older, but still used as slang for TLS).
TLS – Transport Layer Security.
API – Application Programming Interface.
JSON – JavaScript Object Notation (pronounced "jay-son").
XML – eXtensible Markup Language.
HTML – HyperText Markup Language.
CSS – Cascading Style Sheets.
JS – JavaScript.
PHP – PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (recursive acronym).
SQL – Structured Query Language (pronounced "sequel" or "ess-cue-el").
NoSQL – Not only SQL.
DB – Database.
Cache – Temporary storage for faster data access.
Cookie – A small piece of data stored by a browser.
Session – A temporary interactive information exchange between devices.
Auth – Authentication.
Cookie – A small piece of data stored by a browser.
Load Balancer – A device that distributes network traffic.
Proxy – An intermediary server.
VPN – Virtual Private Network.
LAN – Local Area Network.
WAN – Wide Area Network.
4. Cybersecurity
Sec – Security.
InfoSec – Information Security.
Cyber – Cybersecurity (as in "cyber attack").
Hack – To gain unauthorised access (neutral or malicious depending on context).
Crack – To break encryption or software protection.
Phish – A phishing attempt.
Spam – Unsolicited bulk messages.
Mal – Malware.
Vuln – Vulnerability.
Exploit – A piece of code that takes advantage of a vuln.
Payload – The malicious part of an exploit.
Bot – A compromised machine part of a botnet.
Zombie – See above.
Root – Full administrative access (to "root" a device).
Pwn – To own or completely compromise (pronounced "pone").
0-day – A previously unknown vulnerability with no patch.
Pentest – Penetration test.
Red Team – The attacking team in a security exercise.
Blue Team – The defending team.
SOC – Security Operations Center.
SIEM – Security Information and Event Management system.
IDS/IPS – Intrusion Detection/Prevention System.
FW – Firewall.
AV – Antivirus.
EDR – Endpoint Detection and Response.
MFA/2FA – Multi/Two-Factor Authentication.
PII – Personally Identifiable Information.
DLP – Data Loss Prevention.
Ransom – Ransomware.
Worm – A self-replicating malware.
5. Data & AI
Data – The raw material.
DB – Database.
NoSQL – Not only SQL.
ETL – Extract, Transform, Load.
Warehouse – Data warehouse.
Lake – Data lake (raw data repository).
Pipeline – Data pipeline (process for moving/data).
Model – A machine learning model.
Train – To train a model.
Infer – To run inference (make predictions) with a model.
AI – Artificial Intelligence.
ML – Machine Learning.
DL – Deep Learning.
NN – Neural Network.
LLM – Large Language Model.
NLP – Natural Language Processing.
CV – Computer Vision.
GPU – Graphics Processing Unit (critical for AI/ML).
Tensor – A multi-dimensional array (core to frameworks like TensorFlow).
Feature – An input variable to a model.
Label – The output or target variable.
Overfit – When a model learns the training data too well, including noise.
Drift – When the statistical properties of the target variable change over time.
Bot – An automated agent, often AI-powered.
Query – A request for data.
Agg – Aggregate/Aggregation.
Struct – Structured data.
Unstruct – Unstructured data.
Parquet, CSV, JSON – Common data file formats (used as slang, e.g., "Save it as a Parquet").
6. Business & Methodology
Biz – Business.
IT – Information Technology.
ICT – Information and Communications Technology.
Ops – Operations.
DevOps – Development + Operations.
SecOps – Security + Operations.
DataOps – Data + Operations.
Prod – Production environment.
Staging – Staging environment (pre-production).
CI/CD – Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment.
Build – The compiled/assembled version of software.
Release – A version of software pushed to users.
Sprint – A set period of work in Agile.
Scrum – An Agile framework.
Kanban – A visual workflow management method.
Tickets – Work items or bug reports in a tracking system.
Backlog – The prioritised list of pending work.
Stand-up – A short daily team meeting.
Sync – A synchronisation or status meeting.
Async – Asynchronous communication (e.g., email, chat).
Ping – To message or check in with someone (from network command).
Blocked – Unable to proceed due to a dependency.
Bandwidth – Metaphor for a person's capacity for work.
Loop In – To include someone in an email/chat thread.
OOO – Out Of Office.
EOD – End Of Day.
ASAP – As Soon As Possible.
TBD – To Be Determined.
FYI – For Your Information.
TL;DR – Too Long; Didn't Read (summary of a long text).