Technical Glossary

Plain-English definitions for every technical term you'll encounter while building your SaaS. No jargon. No condescension.

The Basics

API (Application Programming Interface) A way for two pieces of software to talk to each other. When your app gets weather data from a weather service, it's using an API. When you connect Stripe for payments, you're using Stripe's API. Think of it as a menu at a restaurant — it tells you what you can order (request) and what you'll get back (response).

Database Where your app stores information. Users, their data, settings — everything lives in a database. Think of it as a collection of spreadsheets that your app can read and write to. The most common type for SaaS is PostgreSQL (often shortened to "Postgres").

Frontend The part of your app that users see and interact with — buttons, pages, forms, menus. Built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. When someone says "React app" or "Next.js app," they're talking about frontend frameworks.

Backend The part of your app that users don't see — the logic, data processing, and database connections that happen on a server. When a user clicks "Save," the frontend sends the data to the backend, which stores it in the database.