Loading page
About this tool
Browse and search a comprehensive dictionary of programming terms, concepts, and jargon with clear definitions and examples.
Programming Terms Dictionary is a searchable glossary of 53 core programming terms — from Abstraction and Big O Notation through Closure, CRUD, Polymorphism and Webpack — each with a one-sentence plain-English definition and a category tag. Search matches the term name and the definition text, so you can find an entry by what it does even when you cannot remember what it is called, and the twelve category filters (CS Basics, OOP, Web, JavaScript, Data Structures, DevOps, UI, Data, Tools, AI, Methodology, General) narrow the list to one area at a time. It is aimed at people early in learning to code, or coming into a dev team from another discipline.
Open Programming Terms Dictionary on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Type into the 'Search terms or definitions...' box — it matches the term name and the definition text, so typing index surfaces Array — or leave it empty to browse all 53 entries.
Narrow with the category chips: All, AI, CS Basics, Data, Data Structures, DevOps, General, JavaScript, Methodology, OOP, Tools, UI and Web. The 'terms found' counter under the chips updates as you filter.
Click a term row to expand its one-sentence definition, with the category tag shown beside the name. When nothing matches, the list is replaced by 'No terms found matching your search.'
Typing 'index' finds Array even though the word is not in the term name, so you can look things up by description.
Every entry is a single definition you can read in a meeting, not an encyclopaedia article you have to skim.
Twelve category tags let you study just Data Structures or just DevOps rather than scrolling an alphabetical wall.
53 terms across 12 categories. It is a curated core vocabulary — the words that come up in a first job or a first course — rather than an exhaustive reference, so specialised terms in one language or framework will not all be here.
No. Search is case-insensitive and matches any part of a term or its definition, so 'api', 'API' and 'interface' all surface the API entry.
CS Basics, OOP, Web, JavaScript, Data Structures, DevOps, UI, Data, Tools, AI, Methodology and General. Selecting All clears the filter and shows every term, with a live count of how many match your current search.
Yes — the definitions are written to be quotable in notes, flashcards or an onboarding doc. For anything you will be examined on, pair it with your course material, since a one-line definition deliberately leaves out the caveats a full treatment would cover.