{"id":20759,"date":"2024-10-24T10:30:57","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T09:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fifteen-staging.fifteen.dev\/blog\/the-jargon-junkyard-they-robot\/"},"modified":"2025-04-11T14:37:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T13:37:20","slug":"11-web-development-terms-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/11-web-development-terms-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Web development terms explained."},"content":{"rendered":"

Anyone trying to navigate the world of <\/span>web development<\/span><\/a> can often feel as though it\u2019s like learning a new language. With <\/span>web development terms<\/span> like XML, robots.txt, and noindex being thrown around, it\u2019s no wonder so many feel overwhelmed. That\u2019s why we\u2019re breaking down some key <\/span>web development buzzwords<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this blog, we\u2019ll explore 11 of the most common <\/span>web development terms<\/span> used in the industry to help give you a better understanding of what they mean. Whether you\u2019re just getting started in your web development career or you\u2019re simply looking to learn what these terminologies mean for an upcoming project, we\u2019ve got you covered.<\/span><\/p>\n

11 W<\/b>eb development definitions<\/b>, from A-Z<\/b><\/h2>\n

Here we breakdown 11 of the most used <\/span>web development buzzwords<\/span> from A-Z, helping you grasp these key terminologies in simple terms.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Application Programming Interface (API)<\/b><\/h3>\n

An Application Programming Interface (API) is a set of rules that allows different software applications to speak to each other and share information. It defines the methods and data formats that applications can use to request, send, and receive information.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, APIs are typically used to pull content from other services across the web such as embedding Google Maps on your contact page. An API can also import visual elements, such as external fonts or libraries of interactive effects.<\/span><\/p>\n

It works by your site speaking to your desired service using a secret key, or password, to verify the request. Then the data will be returned in a raw format, like XML or JSON (which we explained in more detail a little later), by the API.<\/span><\/p>\n

APIs enable developers to integrate various services, elements, and functionalities onto a website or <\/span>mobile app<\/span><\/a> without having to build them from scratch. With an API, the data that is returned is usually customised and can be used in a less restricted way, which enhances the overall <\/span>user experience<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Arrays<\/b><\/h3>\n

In the most simplest of terms, an array is a data structure that stores a collection of elements, such as numbers and strings, under a single variable name.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever seen XML or JSON markup, you may have noticed that the data isn\u2019t all on the same level – some lines are indented and enclosed within other lines by tags or curly brackets (a.k.a \u2018braces\u2019). This is how serialization formats indicate groups of data, which is then interpreted by a website accessing them as arrays.<\/span><\/p>\n

This allows developers to organise, count, rearrange, and manipulate related pieces of data efficiently. For example, an array can hold a list of names or numbers that can be easily accessed and modified using specific index values.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can also \u2018nest\u2019 arrays within one another to create a hierarchical structure. For example, you may have an RSS blog feed with a \u2018parent\u2019 array of 10 posts, each of which has a \u2018child\u2019 array of data entries for the title, content, and author. There is no limit on the amount of nested arrays you may have, but a good API will use a logical structure and compile the data in the most efficient way, so data structure is very important.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Crawler<\/b><\/h3>\n

A crawler, also known as a web spider or a web robot, is an automated program used by search engines to browse the internet and index webpages. Primarily associated with <\/span>SEO<\/span><\/a>, a crawler bot will look over a webpage, analyse code, content, and hyperlinks to determine where the page should rank in search engine results.<\/span><\/p>\n

The beauty of crawlers is that they will continue to browse a site until they have followed every single link and they will return a few days later to check for any updates or changes to ensure their indexes are up-to-date.<\/span><\/p>\n

Crawlers take into account a number of different factors when ranking a website or webpage such as keywords, coding quality, and page speed. Its ultimate aim is to provide searchers with relevant information related to their search queries. However the vastness of the internet is immense which is why <\/span>Google creates algorithms<\/span><\/a> to prioritise the most relevant information.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. \u2018Disallow\u2019<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u2018Disallow\u2019 is a command used in robots.txt files to tell search engine crawlers not to access or index certain pages or directories of a website. Adding this command allows web developers to control which part of a site is off-limits to search engines.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, you might have a webpage that has sensitive information or duplicate content that may affect your SEO rankings. It\u2019s also a particularly useful command to use for account login pages or a website that is under development and is not ready for public viewing.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. JSON<\/b><\/h3>\n

JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) is a simple and easy-to-read example of a coding format that allows information to be shared between applications. It\u2019s predominantly used by the JavaScript programming language to encode complex information so it\u2019s safe for transmission as a single line of text – which is a process known as serialization.<\/span><\/p>\n

Its simplicity and readability make it a popular choice for APIs as it streamlines data transmission and allows for the data to be adapted however it requires. And if you\u2019re a particularly seasoned web developer, you might just be able to read the text content, but it will be encased in tags or punctuation marks.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. \u2018Noindex\u2019<\/b><\/h3>\n

Web development terms such as \u2018Noindex\u2019 are also important to know for your SEO strategy. It simply means you don\u2019t want a particular page indexing and appearing in search results. It works by placing a piece of code in a webpage’s meta tags, or header portion, and when a crawler reaches the page, it will abide by the \u2018noindex\u2019 request, meaning the page will not show up in search engine results, keeping it hidden from users who are searching for related content. This request is often used for pages such as thank you pages after form submissions or again, duplicate content that you don\u2019t want to appear in search engines.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

7. \u2018Nofollow\u2019<\/b><\/h3>\n

Similar to \u2018noindex\u2019, \u2018nofollow\u2019 is a value that can be added to a webpage\u2019s meta tags that is assigned to hyperlinks to instruct search engines not to follow the link. Adding this essentially means that crawlers will not pass on any authority or ranking to the linked page.<\/span><\/p>\n

This may seem mean-spirited, but if you\u2019re linking to a competitor in a blog and you\u2019re comparing your products or services with theirs for example, you don\u2019t want to inadvertently send crawlers to your competitors.<\/span><\/p>\n

8. Objects<\/b><\/h3>\n

Objects work in conjunction with arrays in that they are collections of data and functionality that are used to create a webpage. They encapsulate data and behaviour to allow developers to create interactive elements and websites. Each object has its own properties and methods that describe its characteristics and methods to define its actions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With object-oriented programming, you can create real life objects. For example, you might create an author that can have properties like a name or a birthday and its methods can be to read or write.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

9. Robot<\/b><\/h3>\n

A robot, or a \u2018bot\u2019, a \u2018web bot\u2019, or a \u2018internet bot\u2019, is a program that is used by developers to automate repetitive tasks such as testing, deployment, and monitoring of websites. This allows them to save time and ensure consistency in their work. Some of the most popular robots include <\/span>Selenium<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Puppeteer<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>PhantomJS<\/span><\/a> which offer a range of functionalities to streamline workflow.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whilst most developers use robots for good, it\u2019s important to note that there are a select few who use robots for bad purposes. The most common example of this are Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, where an army of robots are deployed to overload a server with repeated traffic, harvest email addresses for spam, and try to crack passwords.<\/span><\/p>\n

They operate by pretending to be as human as possible and the creators of these bots go to great lengths to ensure they appear as realistic as they can in order to fool website security systems. That\u2019s why you often see <\/span>reCAPTCHA<\/span><\/a> implemented on online forms on many websites.<\/span><\/p>\n

10. Robots.txt<\/b><\/h3>\n

Robots.txt (a.k.a \u2018robots exclusion standard\u2019) is a small text file that developers create to instruct web robots on how to crawl and index pages on a website. It\u2019s used to inform search engines what content should and shouldn\u2019t appear on search engine listings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This allows developers to control access to certain parts of a website. However with that being said, malicious bots will ignore your robots.txt file, so it\u2019s crucial your site has additional security measures put in place to deal with these threats.<\/span><\/p>\n

11. XML<\/b><\/h3>\n

XML, short for \u201cExtensible Markup Language\u201d is a versatile coding language that can be used for creating and structuring content for websites. Unlike HTML, XML focuses on describing the content rather than the presentation of a webpage. It allows developers to create custom tags that define data relationships, making it easier to organise and share information across different platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n

The code works by telling the website or app reading the feed how the data should be structured, but leaves it up to the developer to decide how to present it, hence the \u2018extensible\u2019 concept.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using XML enables developers to ensure the data is well-structured and easily readable, which is what makes it so compatible across different platforms. This flexibility and interoperability makes XML a valuable tool for organising and transmitting data efficiently.<\/span><\/p>\n

Want to learn more <\/b>web development terms<\/b>?<\/b><\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve explained just some of the many <\/span>web development buzzwords<\/span> that often fly around in this industry. It\u2019s easy to become overwhelmed with this type of terminology, but we hope we\u2019ve been able to remove the perplexity surrounded by the above <\/span>web development jargon<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

At Fifteen, our <\/span>web development<\/span><\/a> specialists use these kinds of terms everyday and provide clarity for our clients when working on their project so they understand every step of our web development process.\u00a0<\/span>We specialise in <\/span>building flawless websites<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>mobile applications<\/span><\/a> that are not only bespoke to your business, but also engages your audience effectively. <\/span>Get in touch<\/span><\/a> with us today to discuss your project requirements in more detail and learn how we can make your online success, our mission.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Anyone trying to navigate the world of web development can often feel as though it\u2019s like learning a new language. With web development terms like XML, robots.txt, and noindex being thrown around, it\u2019s no wonder so many feel overwhelmed. That\u2019s why we\u2019re breaking down some key web development buzzwords. In this blog, we\u2019ll explore 11 […]","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":20760,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[952,1680,1685],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-web","category-web-development","category-website-support"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n11 Web development terms explained | Fifteen<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We explore 11 of the most common web development terms used in the industry to help give you a better understanding of what they mean.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/11-web-development-terms-explained\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"11 Web development terms explained.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We explore 11 of the most common web development terms used in the industry to help give you a better understanding of what they mean.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/11-web-development-terms-explained\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Fifteen\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FifteenDesign\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-10-24T09:30:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-11T13:37:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/RobotHeader.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"developers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"developers\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"11 Web development terms explained | Fifteen","description":"We explore 11 of the most common web development terms used in the industry to help give you a better understanding of what they mean.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/11-web-development-terms-explained\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"11 Web development terms explained.","og_description":"We explore 11 of the most common web development terms used in the industry to help give you a better understanding of what they mean.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/11-web-development-terms-explained\/","og_site_name":"Fifteen","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FifteenDesign","article_published_time":"2024-10-24T09:30:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-04-11T13:37:20+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1800,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/RobotHeader.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"developers","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"developers","Estimated reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/11-web-development-terms-explained\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/11-web-development-terms-explained\/"},"author":{"name":"developers","@id":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/ed7f885e517358d58098e5f954f094b9"},"headline":"11 Web development terms explained.","datePublished":"2024-10-24T09:30:57+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-11T13:37:20+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/11-web-development-terms-explained\/"},"wordCount":1718,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/11-web-development-terms-explained\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/RobotHeader.jpg","articleSection":["Web","Web Development","Website Support"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/11-web-development-terms-explained\/","url":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/11-web-development-terms-explained\/","name":"11 Web development terms explained | Fifteen","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/11-web-development-terms-explained\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/11-web-development-terms-explained\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/RobotHeader.jpg","datePublished":"2024-10-24T09:30:57+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-11T13:37:20+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/ed7f885e517358d58098e5f954f094b9"},"description":"We explore 11 of the most common web development terms used in the industry to help give you a better understanding of what they mean.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/11-web-development-terms-explained\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/11-web-development-terms-explained\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/11-web-development-terms-explained\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/RobotHeader.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/RobotHeader.jpg","width":1800,"height":800,"caption":"web-development-terms"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/11-web-development-terms-explained\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"11 Web development terms explained."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/","name":"Fifteen","description":"Creative. Digital. Marketing.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/ed7f885e517358d58098e5f954f094b9","name":"developers","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/90a7aefe9a61edd78fd2f3a689184af548768d9da2fd48656f39a6b7b575a237?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/90a7aefe9a61edd78fd2f3a689184af548768d9da2fd48656f39a6b7b575a237?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/90a7aefe9a61edd78fd2f3a689184af548768d9da2fd48656f39a6b7b575a237?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"developers"},"url":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/author\/developers\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}