Always available

Academy Glossary

Look up the language behind the lessons, then follow the related terms to build context at your own pace.

Academy foundations

Hierarchy

Also: heirarchy, content hierarchy

The ordered relationship between Track, Module, and Lesson.

Why it matters: It helps you find the right level for a learning goal without confusing content navigation with skill evidence.

Examples

A Track contains Modules, and Modules contain Lessons.

Related: track · module · lesson · competency

Academy foundations

Track

Also: learning track, pathway

A productized learning path made of related modules and lessons.

Why it matters: Tracks give a learner a coherent outcome while keeping different specialties separate.

Examples

AI Automation Consultant is a Track in the Academy.

Related: hierarchy · module · competency

Academy foundations

Module

Also: unit, section

A group of lessons organized around a related capability or delivery step.

Why it matters: Modules create useful stopping points without making calendar labels the platform structure.

Examples

Platform Orientation is in the placement module.

Related: track · lesson · hierarchy

Academy foundations

Lesson

Also: learning loop

A repeatable practice loop combining teaching, action, checks, reflection, and evidence.

Why it matters: A lesson is complete only when its gates and evidence are satisfied.

Examples

A lesson can require a prediction, artifact, knowledge check, and reflection.

Related: module · stage · evidence · gate

Evidence and progress

Competency

Also: skill, capability

A durable capability that advances only when matching evidence is recorded.

Why it matters: Competency separates what a learner can demonstrate from content viewed.

Examples

Deployment and Automation Architecture are Academy competencies.

Related: evidence · rubric · decay · radar

Evidence and progress

Evidence

Also: proof, evidence item

Reviewable proof attached to a lesson, project, or competency claim.

Why it matters: Evidence gives a reviewer something concrete to inspect.

Examples

A setup note, repository reference, passed check, or reflection can be evidence.

Related: artifact · rubric · gate · competency

Evidence and progress

Artifact

Also: deliverable, work product

A concrete piece of work that can be inspected, referenced, or reviewed.

Why it matters: Artifacts demonstrate that work exists outside the lesson interface.

Examples

A process map, deployment note, or rollback plan is an artifact.

Related: evidence · handoff · rubric

Academy foundations

Stage

Also: lesson stage

One of six ordered moves inside a staged lesson.

Why it matters: Stages make the learning loop visible and keep help specific to the current task.

Examples

Teach comes before Guided Practice, Check, Explain, and Reflect.

Related: lesson · gate · help

Automation practice

Mapping

Also: process mapping, system mapping

Representing a process or system as steps, inputs, outputs, owners, and failure points.

Why it matters: Mapping exposes ambiguity before automation turns it into a harder-to-see failure.

Examples

A lead intake map can show where a webhook, CRM record, and notification connect.

Related: positioning · architecture · hardening · artifact

Commercial practice

Positioning

Also: offer positioning, commercial positioning

A clear statement of who a service is for, what problem it solves, and why it is credible.

Why it matters: Positioning connects technical work to a buyer decision.

Examples

Position a workflow around reducing response time rather than selling a generic automation.

Related: mapping · rubric · capstone

Automation practice

Hardening

Also: production hardening, reliability hardening

Strengthening a system against failures, misuse, cost surprises, and operational ambiguity.

Why it matters: A prototype can appear successful while still being unsafe to hand off.

Examples

Add validation, bounded retries, logging, and recovery instructions before handoff.

Related: failure mode · observability · cost cap · handoff

Commercial practice

Handoff

Also: hand off, hand-off, handover

The deliberate transfer of a working system, context, operating notes, and ownership.

Why it matters: A system only its builder can operate is not commercially ready.

Examples

A handoff packet includes a runbook, known failures, and rollback instructions.

Related: artifact · hardening · runbook · capstone

Commercial practice

Capstone

Also: graduation project, final project

A culminating body of work evaluated against a readiness rubric and delivery constraints.

Why it matters: The capstone tests whether separate skills combine into a client-ready outcome.

Examples

The capstone evaluates commercial minimum and prescribes remediation.

Related: rubric · remediation · handoff · competency

Evidence and progress

Rubric

Also: evaluation rubric, scoring rubric

An explicit set of evaluation areas and criteria used to review work.

Why it matters: A rubric makes quality expectations visible before submission.

Examples

A rubric can score reliability, clarity, evidence, and handoff readiness.

Related: capstone · evidence · remediation

Platform mechanics

Gate

Also: completion gate, lesson gate

A server-enforced condition that must be satisfied before a learner can advance.

Why it matters: Gates prevent a browser click from being treated as proof.

Examples

A check gate can require a passing score before the next part unlocks.

Related: evidence · lesson · knowledge check · server enforcement

Platform mechanics

Server enforcement

Also: server enforced, backend enforcement

Applying an authorization or progress rule on the server rather than trusting the browser.

Why it matters: Server enforcement protects gates when requests are replayed or modified.

Examples

The completion route checks stored evidence before marking a lesson complete.

Related: gate · auth · multi-tenancy

Platform mechanics

Knowledge check

Also: quiz, scored check, multiple choice

A server-scored set of questions that verifies recall or understanding.

Why it matters: It is stronger than opening a page and more bounded than a reviewed artifact.

Examples

Part 8 uses a passing check as introductory evidence.

Related: gate · evidence · reflection

Evidence and progress

Reflection

Also: written reflection, debrief

A learner-authored explanation connecting an activity to a rule or tradeoff.

Why it matters: Reflection checks whether the learner can explain reasoning.

Examples

Explain why a page view is not enough to claim deployment skill.

Related: evidence · knowledge check · artifact

Evidence and progress

Competency decay

Also: recheck decay, skill decay

A scheduled reduction or recheck when qualifying evidence becomes stale.

Why it matters: The dashboard should show an honest current view of capability.

Examples

The engine runs a recheck sweep when the Academy opens.

Related: competency · radar · evidence

Evidence and progress

Competency radar

Also: radar chart, competency chart

A visual summary of current competency levels after decay is applied.

Why it matters: It helps a learner choose the next practice target.

Examples

A radar can show deployment stronger than observability.

Related: competency · decay · dashboard

Automation practice

Architecture

Also: system architecture, solution architecture

The arrangement of components, data flows, boundaries, and responsibilities in a system.

Why it matters: Architecture determines how a workflow behaves when inputs, services, or operators change.

Examples

Map intake, validation, persistence, notification, and recovery responsibilities.

Related: mapping · hardening · observability

Coding foundations

API

Also: application programming interface, endpoint

A defined interface through which software exchanges requests and responses.

Why it matters: Clear API boundaries make integrations testable and reduce coupling.

Examples

A POST endpoint can accept a lead and return a stable response shape.

Related: http · webhook · json · validation

Coding foundations

HTTP

Also: web request, request method

Web protocol conventions for exchanging requests and responses.

Why it matters: Methods, status codes, headers, and bodies are essential debugging signals.

Examples

GET reads, POST creates or triggers, and 500 signals a server failure.

Related: api · endpoint · status code · webhook

Coding foundations

JSON

Also: javascript object notation, payload

A text format commonly used to represent structured data between services.

Why it matters: Most integrations require you to inspect, transform, and validate JSON.

Examples

A webhook payload can contain a name, email, and event timestamp.

Related: api · webhook · schema · validation

Automation practice

Webhook

Also: event callback, incoming webhook

An HTTP request sent automatically when an event occurs in another system.

Why it matters: Webhooks let automations react without repeatedly polling.

Examples

A form service can POST a new-submission payload to an intake endpoint.

Related: api · http · retry · validation

Coding foundations

Validation

Also: input validation, schema validation

Checking that incoming data has the expected shape, types, and allowed values.

Why it matters: Validation turns malformed input into a controlled response.

Examples

Reject a lead payload when its email is missing.

Related: schema · json · api · hardening

Coding foundations

Schema

Also: data schema, contract

A formal description of fields, types, relationships, and constraints.

Why it matters: Schemas make data contracts explicit for code, databases, and content loaders.

Examples

A lesson schema can require access, criteria, and staged parts.

Related: validation · prisma · content loader

Coding foundations

Database

Also: data store, persistence layer

A system that stores and retrieves structured application data.

Why it matters: Persistence lets progress, evidence, and tenant boundaries survive restarts.

Examples

The Academy uses SQLite locally and PostgreSQL in production.

Related: prisma · persistence · multi-tenancy

Coding foundations

Prisma

Also: Prisma ORM, ORM

The database toolkit used to define models, generate a client, and query persistence.

Why it matters: Prisma provides typed database access while repositories enforce scope.

Examples

The schema template is rendered for SQLite or PostgreSQL.

Related: database · schema · repository · multi-tenancy

Coding foundations

Repository

Also: repository layer, data access layer

A focused module that owns persistence queries and hides database details.

Why it matters: Repositories provide one place to enforce user and organization scope.

Examples

A progress repository requires a concrete userId on every read and write.

Related: prisma · multi-tenancy · persistence

Coding foundations

Persistence

Also: stored state, durable state

Keeping application state in a durable store so it can be retrieved later.

Why it matters: Without persistence, progress and evidence disappear when a process restarts.

Examples

Lesson progress and competency evidence are persisted records.

Related: database · repository · export and import

Platform mechanics

Multi-tenancy

Also: tenant isolation, tenant scope

Serving multiple users or organizations without mixing their data.

Why it matters: Every user-scoped query must prevent one learner reading another learner's records.

Examples

The scope guard rejects a query without a concrete userId filter.

Related: userId · orgId · repository · server enforcement

Automation practice

Observability

Also: logs and metrics, monitoring

Understanding system behavior through logs, metrics, traces, and error context.

Why it matters: Operators need signal to diagnose failures and decide what to do next.

Examples

Record request id, outcome, latency, and error category.

Related: hardening · failure mode · http

Automation practice

Failure mode

Also: failure case, failure scenario

A specific way a system can fail, including trigger, symptoms, impact, and recovery.

Why it matters: Naming failures turns vague anxiety into testable design work.

Examples

A provider returns 429 while an unbounded retry loop continues.

Related: hardening · observability · retry · cost cap

Automation practice

Retry

Also: retry policy, backoff

A controlled attempt to repeat failed work under limits and timing rules.

Why it matters: Unbounded retries can duplicate work or create runaway cost.

Examples

Retry a transient 500 with backoff and a maximum attempt count.

Related: failure mode · hardening · cost cap

Platform mechanics

Cost cap

Also: spend cap, monthly cap

A configured maximum spend that limits optional model-assisted work.

Why it matters: A cap keeps experimentation financially bounded and visible.

Examples

The dashboard compares grader spend with the monthly cap.

Related: llm · dashboard · hardening

Coding foundations

LLM

Also: large language model, language model

A model trained to generate or transform language from prompts and context.

Why it matters: LLMs can accelerate drafting but do not replace gates, evidence, or review.

Examples

An optional grader can provide feedback while the cap controls spend.

Related: cost cap · evidence · validation

Platform mechanics

Content loader

Also: loader, content pipeline

Code that reads authored MDX or YAML, validates it, and turns it into renderable data.

Why it matters: A loader lets curriculum change without scattering lesson text through UI components.

Examples

The Academy loader validates frontmatter and attaches ordered stages.

Related: schema · mdx · yaml · validation

Coding foundations

MDX

Also: markdown jsx

Markdown extended with JSX-capable authoring conventions.

Why it matters: MDX keeps lesson prose readable while supporting structured content contracts.

Examples

Lesson body text and knowledge checks are authored in MDX files.

Related: content loader · schema · yaml

Coding foundations

YAML

Also: yaml frontmatter, configuration file

A human-readable data format used for structured content and configuration.

Why it matters: YAML makes modules, rubrics, glossary, and help content easy to review.

Examples

A module definition stores its slug, label, order, and objectives.

Related: content loader · schema · validation

Commercial practice

Decision

Also: design decision, architecture decision

A recorded choice about how a system or project should work, including its reasoning and tradeoffs.

Why it matters: Written decisions keep future changes aligned with the intent behind the system.

Examples

A decision log can record why PostgreSQL is used in production.

Related: tradeoff · architecture · handoff

Commercial practice

Tradeoff

Also: design tradeoff, constraint

The cost or limitation accepted when choosing one benefit over another.

Why it matters: Naming tradeoffs makes technical recommendations honest and reviewable.

Examples

A mock provider trades realism for deterministic offline tests.

Related: decision · architecture · rubric

Commercial practice

Acceptance criterion

Also: acceptance criteria, done condition

A specific condition that must be true for work to be accepted.

Why it matters: Criteria turn a vague request into a testable agreement.

Examples

A criterion can require a deployment URL, logs, and a rollback note.

Related: rubric · evidence · capstone

Commercial practice

Remediation

Also: remediation plan, corrective action

A focused action that addresses a gap found during review.

Why it matters: Remediation turns feedback into the next concrete improvement.

Examples

Missing failure evidence can produce a remediation prescription.

Related: rubric · capstone · failure mode

Automation practice

Runbook

Also: operating guide, operations guide

A step-by-step guide for operating, checking, and recovering a system.

Why it matters: A runbook makes routine operations transferable during handoff.

Examples

A runbook explains how to replay a failed intake safely.

Related: handoff · hardening · rollback · observability

Deployment

Rollback

Also: revert deployment, recovery release

Returning a system to a previously known working version or state.

Why it matters: A rollback plan limits the impact of a bad deployment.

Examples

Record which deployment to restore when a new release fails.

Related: deployment · hardening · runbook

Automation practice

Rate limit

Also: throttle, request limit

A boundary on how many requests a user or system may make in a period.

Why it matters: Rate limits protect providers, budgets, and system stability.

Examples

A 429 response commonly indicates that a provider rate limit was reached.

Related: retry · cost cap · hardening

Automation practice

Idempotency

Also: idempotent operation, duplicate protection

A property where repeating the same operation produces the same intended result as doing it once.

Why it matters: Idempotency prevents retries or duplicate webhooks from creating duplicate business actions.

Examples

Use an event id as an idempotency key before creating a CRM record.

Related: retry · webhook · hardening

Automation practice

Timeout

Also: request timeout, deadline

A limit on how long an operation may wait before it stops and reports a controlled failure.

Why it matters: Timeouts prevent one unavailable dependency from holding an entire workflow open.

Examples

Return a useful error when a provider does not respond before the deadline.

Related: retry · failure mode · fallback

Automation practice

Fallback

Also: fallback path, graceful degradation

A defined alternate behavior used when the preferred path is unavailable or unsafe.

Why it matters: A fallback preserves useful progress without hiding the original failure.

Examples

Use manual self-assessment when optional LLM grading is unconfigured.

Related: timeout · failure mode · hardening

Platform mechanics

Deterministic

Also: deterministic behavior, repeatable

Producing the same result for the same inputs without depending on unpredictable external behavior.

Why it matters: Determinism makes tests, assessments, and cost controls trustworthy.

Examples

Failure Lab grading uses deterministic keyword rules.

Related: mock · validation · evidence

Coding foundations

Mock

Also: mock fixture, test double

A controlled substitute for a real dependency used during development or testing.

Why it matters: Mocks let you test failure paths without sending real requests or spending real money.

Examples

The MockCorp API supplies predictable CRM and calendar responses.

Related: deterministic · fallback · unit test

Coding foundations

Adapter

Also: provider adapter, integration adapter

A boundary module that translates one provider's interface into the application's common interface.

Why it matters: Adapters let auth, databases, or models change without rewriting every consumer.

Examples

The Academy auth adapter supports local and Soatmos modes.

Related: auth · repository · interface

Platform mechanics

Auth

Also: authentication, identity

The process of establishing which user or organization is making a request.

Why it matters: Identity is the starting point for access decisions and user-scoped data.

Examples

The Academy's local mode uses a fixed development identity.

Related: authorization · sso · jwt · multi-tenancy

Platform mechanics

Authorization

Also: access control, permission check

The process of deciding whether an identified user may perform an action or access a resource.

Why it matters: Authentication identifies a user; authorization applies the rule.

Examples

Entitlements authorization can gate paid tracks in strict mode.

Related: auth · entitlements · server enforcement

Platform mechanics

SSO

Also: single sign-on, shared login

A login arrangement that lets one trusted identity system serve multiple applications.

Why it matters: SSO lets the Academy reuse the Soatmos portal session instead of creating another password system.

Examples

Soatmos mode validates the portal's shared session token.

Related: auth · jwt · cookie · adapter

Platform mechanics

JWT

Also: JSON Web Token, signed token

A signed token format that carries claims about a user or session.

Why it matters: Signature validation helps an application trust claims received from an identity provider.

Examples

The Soatmos adapter validates a NextAuth JWT.

Related: sso · auth · cookie

Web foundations

Cookie

Also: session cookie, browser cookie

A small value stored by a browser and sent with matching requests.

Why it matters: Secure cookie settings affect whether shared sessions work across subdomains.

Examples

A secure session cookie can carry the portal login state.

Related: sso · auth · jwt

Deployment

Environment variable

Also: env var, configuration variable

A configuration value supplied to a process at runtime rather than hardcoded in source.

Why it matters: Environment variables keep deployment-specific settings and secrets out of the repository.

Examples

ACADEMY_DATABASE_URL selects the database connection.

Related: deployment · secret · configuration

Deployment

Also: release, production deploy

Publishing a tested application version into an environment where users can access it.

Why it matters: Deployment connects source code, configuration, data, and a public URL.

Examples

Vercel builds the Academy and serves it at the configured domain.

Related: rollback · environment variable · ci

Coding foundations

Migration

Also: database migration, schema migration

A controlled change that moves a database schema or data from one version to another.

Why it matters: Migrations make persistence changes repeatable across local, test, and production environments.

Examples

Prisma push applies the generated schema to the configured database.

Related: database · prisma · schema · deployment

Web foundations

Next.js

Also: Next, Next framework

The React framework used by the Academy for routing, server rendering, and application delivery.

Why it matters: Knowing the framework clarifies where pages, routes, server code, and browser code belong.

Examples

The Academy uses Next.js App Router under the app directory.

Related: react · app router · route handler

Web foundations

React

Also: React component, UI library

A JavaScript library for composing user interfaces from reusable components.

Why it matters: React components keep interface behavior and presentation understandable in small units.

Examples

The glossary cards and search surface are React components.

Related: next.js · client component · server component

Web foundations

App Router

Also: Next.js App Router, app directory

Next.js's file-based routing model built around the app directory and nested layouts.

Why it matters: The App Router determines how pages, layouts, loading states, and server components are organized.

Examples

app/help/page.tsx renders the Help route.

Related: next.js · server component · route handler

Web foundations

Server component

Also: React Server Component, RSC

A React component rendered on the server that can read server-only data without shipping that code to the browser.

Why it matters: Server components are a good boundary for authenticated content loading and secrets.

Examples

The Glossary page loads validated YAML on the server.

Related: client component · app router · content loader

Web foundations

Client component

Also: browser component, interactive component

A React component marked for browser execution so it can respond to interaction and hold UI state.

Why it matters: Client components are the right place for live search input and other browser interactions.

Examples

ReferenceSearch filters loaded entries as the learner types.

Related: server component · react · state

Web foundations

Route handler

Also: API route, app route

A server function that handles an HTTP request at a file-based application route.

Why it matters: Route handlers are the boundary for server-enforced actions and API responses.

Examples

The lesson state route validates progress actions before writing records.

Related: api · http · server enforcement

Coding foundations

TypeScript

Also: TS, typed JavaScript

JavaScript with a static type system that catches many mistakes before runtime.

Why it matters: Types make contracts between content, components, repositories, and APIs easier to review.

Examples

The Academy's schemas and components are written in TypeScript.

Related: type · interface · schema

Coding foundations

Type

Also: TypeScript type, type alias

A description of what values may look like and which operations are valid.

Why it matters: Types document assumptions and help tools identify mismatched data before execution.

Examples

GlossaryEntry describes the normalized shape of one glossary item.

Related: typescript · interface · schema

Coding foundations

Interface

Also: TypeScript interface, contract interface

A named contract describing the properties or methods an object must provide.

Why it matters: Interfaces make replaceable adapters and repository boundaries explicit.

Examples

An auth interface can expose getUser and requireUser methods.

Related: type · adapter · repository

Coding foundations

State

Also: UI state, application state

Data that can change over time and determines what an application renders or does.

Why it matters: Good state boundaries keep interactions predictable and prevent stale displays.

Examples

The search query is client state while glossary entries are loaded data.

Related: client component · persistence · progress

Collaboration

Git

Also: version control, source control

A version-control system that records changes to files and supports parallel work.

Why it matters: Git gives the project a recoverable history and makes reviewable collaboration possible.

Examples

A commit records a coherent Academy change.

Related: commit · branch · pull request

Collaboration

Commit

Also: git commit, changeset

A named snapshot of repository changes with an author and message.

Why it matters: Small coherent commits make debugging, review, and rollback easier.

Examples

A reference-library commit can include its content, loader, UI, and tests.

Related: git · branch · pull request

Collaboration

Branch

Also: git branch, feature branch

An independent line of repository history used to develop or review a change.

Why it matters: Branches let work progress without destabilizing the shared main line.

Examples

A phase can be implemented on a feature branch before merge.

Related: git · commit · pull request

Collaboration

Pull request

Also: PR, code review

A proposed set of branch changes submitted for discussion, checks, and review before merging.

Why it matters: Pull requests create a visible handoff from implementation to review.

Examples

A reviewer can inspect the glossary schema and its tests in a pull request.

Related: branch · commit · ci · handoff

Collaboration

CI

Also: continuous integration, automated checks

Automated checks that run when code changes are proposed or merged.

Why it matters: CI catches regressions before they reach a deployed environment.

Examples

The Academy CI matrix verifies SQLite and PostgreSQL paths.

Related: pull request · unit test · e2e test · deployment

Testing

Unit test

Also: unit testing, isolated test

A test that checks one function or component behavior in a focused environment.

Why it matters: Unit tests give fast, precise feedback about local logic.

Examples

The reference loader unit test checks the authored term and video counts.

Related: e2e test · ci · deterministic

Testing

End-to-end test

Also: E2E test, browser test

A test that exercises a complete user flow through the browser and application boundaries.

Why it matters: E2E tests catch integration failures that isolated tests cannot see.

Examples

The reference E2E test searches the glossary and opens the Help route.

Related: unit test · playwright · ci

Testing

Playwright

Also: browser automation, Playwright test

The browser automation framework used by the Academy for end-to-end checks.

Why it matters: Browser automation verifies the learner experience at the same boundary a user sees.

Examples

Playwright checks that alias search hides nonmatching glossary cards.

Related: e2e test · ci · observability