Glossary
A
API Documentation : Automated documentation generated from source code comments and specifications that describes application programming interfaces, including endpoints, parameters, and responses.
Azure App Service : Microsoft's platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering for hosting web applications, REST APIs, and mobile backends in the cloud.
Azure DevOps : Microsoft's suite of development tools including version control, project management, CI/CD pipelines, and collaboration features.
Azure Pipelines : Continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) service that automatically builds, tests, and deploys code to any platform and cloud.
B
Branch Protection : Git repository settings that enforce rules for code changes, requiring pull requests, reviews, and status checks before merging to protected branches.
Build Artifacts : Files and folders generated during the documentation build process, including compiled HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other assets.
Build Pipeline : Automated process that compiles source documentation into a publishable format, including validation, testing, and artifact generation.
C
CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) : Development practice where code changes are automatically built, tested, and deployed to production environments.
Cross-Reference : Links between documentation pages and sections that help readers navigate related content and maintain content relationships.
Custom Domain : Personalized web address (e.g., docs.company.com) that points to your documentation site instead of using default hosting URLs.
D
DaC (Documentation as Code) : Methodology that applies software development principles and practices to documentation creation, management, and deployment.
DocFX : Microsoft's static site generator designed for building documentation websites from Markdown files and source code comments.
Deployment Slot : Azure App Service feature that allows you to deploy different versions of your application to separate environments for testing before production.
F
Frontmatter : Metadata block at the beginning of Markdown files that contains information like title, description, tags, and configuration settings.
G
Git : Distributed version control system that tracks changes in source code and documentation files during software development.
GitHub Actions : CI/CD platform that allows you to automate workflows directly from your GitHub repository.
H
HTML Rendering : Process of converting Markdown and other source formats into HTML for web browser display.
I
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) : Practice of managing and provisioning computing infrastructure through machine-readable definition files rather than manual processes.
M
Markdown : Lightweight markup language with plain text formatting syntax designed to be converted to HTML and other formats.
Metadata : Data that provides information about other data, such as page titles, descriptions, tags, and creation dates in documentation files.
Multi-stage Pipeline : CI/CD pipeline configuration that separates the build, test, and deployment processes into distinct stages with different environments.
P
Pull Request (PR) : Method of submitting contributions to a project where proposed changes are reviewed before being merged into the main codebase.
Pipeline Trigger : Conditions that automatically start a CI/CD pipeline, such as code commits, pull requests, or scheduled times.
Q
Quality Gate : Automated checkpoint in the CI/CD pipeline that enforces quality standards before allowing deployment to proceed.
R
Repository : Storage location for project files including source code, documentation, and configuration files, typically managed by version control systems.
Responsive Design : Web design approach that ensures documentation displays properly across different devices and screen sizes.
S
Semantic Versioning : Versioning scheme using three numbers (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH) to communicate the nature of changes in software releases.
Static Site Generator : Tool that generates a complete static website from source files, templates, and content, producing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files.
Service Connection : Secure connection between Azure DevOps and external services like Azure subscriptions for automated deployments.
T
Table of Contents (TOC) : Structured navigation system that organizes documentation content hierarchically for easy discovery and browsing.
Template : Predefined structure or format for creating consistent documentation pages with standardized layouts and content organization.
Theme : Collection of templates, stylesheets, and assets that define the visual appearance and layout of a documentation website.
V
Version Control : System for tracking and managing changes to files over time, allowing multiple contributors to collaborate and maintain change history.
W
Webhook : HTTP callback that triggers automated actions when specific events occur in external systems like repositories or deployment platforms.
Workflow : Series of automated steps or manual processes that define how documentation is created, reviewed, tested, and published.
Y
YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language) : Human-readable data serialization standard commonly used for configuration files, including CI/CD pipeline definitions and frontmatter.
Common Acronyms
| Acronym | Full Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| API | Application Programming Interface | Set of protocols and tools for building software applications |
| CD | Continuous Deployment | Automated deployment of code changes to production |
| CI | Continuous Integration | Practice of automatically testing code changes |
| CLI | Command Line Interface | Text-based interface for interacting with software |
| CMS | Content Management System | Software for creating and managing digital content |
| CSS | Cascading Style Sheets | Language for describing web page presentation |
| DaC | Documentation as Code | Methodology for managing documentation like software |
| DNS | Domain Name System | System that translates domain names to IP addresses |
| HTML | HyperText Markup Language | Standard markup language for web pages |
| HTTP | HyperText Transfer Protocol | Protocol for transferring web content |
| HTTPS | HTTP Secure | Encrypted version of HTTP |
| IaC | Infrastructure as Code | Managing infrastructure through code |
| JSON | JavaScript Object Notation | Lightweight data interchange format |
| PR | Pull Request | Method for proposing changes to a codebase |
| REST | Representational State Transfer | Architectural style for web services |
| SPA | Single Page Application | Web application that loads single HTML page |
| SSL | Secure Sockets Layer | Protocol for secure internet connections |
| TOC | Table of Contents | Navigation structure for documentation |
| UI | User Interface | Point of interaction between user and system |
| URL | Uniform Resource Locator | Web address for accessing resources |
| UX | User Experience | Overall experience of using a product |
| VCS | Version Control System | Tool for tracking file changes |
| XML | eXtensible Markup Language | Markup language for encoding documents |
| YAML | YAML Ain't Markup Language | Human-readable data serialization standard |
Related Technologies
Documentation Tools
GitBook : Modern documentation platform that creates beautiful, searchable documentation from Markdown files.
MkDocs : Fast and simple static site generator for project documentation using Python and Markdown.
Sphinx : Documentation generator written in Python, commonly used for technical documentation with rich cross-referencing.
Jekyll : Static site generator built with Ruby, popular for GitHub Pages and blog-style documentation sites.
Hugo : Fast static site generator built with Go, known for its speed and flexibility in content organization.
Version Control Platforms
GitHub : Web-based hosting service for Git repositories with collaboration features, issue tracking, and CI/CD capabilities.
GitLab : Web-based DevOps lifecycle tool providing Git repository management with integrated CI/CD and project management.
Bitbucket : Git repository management solution with built-in CI/CD and integration with Atlassian tools.
Hosting Platforms
Netlify : Cloud platform for deploying and hosting static websites with automatic builds from Git repositories.
Vercel : Platform for frontend frameworks and static sites with optimized deployment and preview environments.
AWS S3 : Amazon's object storage service commonly used for hosting static websites with CloudFront CDN.
GitHub Pages : Static site hosting service directly from GitHub repositories, ideal for open source project documentation.
This glossary provides definitions for key terms used throughout the Documentation as Code implementation. For additional technical terms, refer to the specific technology documentation or community resources.