The glossary gathers the key terminology that shapes the Architecture as Code approach across this book. It embraces inclusive language so that every practitioner—regardless of background, role, or level of experience—can connect their work to the concepts shown in the relationships diagram above.
Keeping the glossary actionable requires more than prose. A structured dataset lives at references/glossary_terms_relationships.json so that automation can reason about how concepts reinforce one another. The test suite (tests/test_glossary_dataset.py) validates that the dataset and this glossary stay in sync, and the dataset can be used by automation—for example to surface dependencies in pull requests, populate architecture decision templates, or keep presentation material aligned with the book’s vocabulary.
Revisit this glossary as new capabilities emerge. Update both the definitions and the diagram when introducing a novel concept so that every reader can see how their contribution fits into the Architecture as Code ecosystem.
Primary topics explored
- How to use this glossary
- Core Architecture as Code foundations
- Automation, tooling, and delivery
- Governance, compliance, and security
- Reliability and operational excellence
- Financial stewardship and sustainability
About Architecture as Code
Infrastructure as Code represents a fundamental change in how we manage and develop IT infrastructure. This book provides organisations with practical guidance for implementing IaC principles whilst fulfilling local compliance requirements and optimising costs.
The book covers everything from fundamental principles and tools to advanced implementation strategies, security aspects, and organisational changes required for successful IaC adoption.
IT architects, DevOps teams, developers, and decision-makers within organisations.
Gunnar Nordqvist
Conceived, directed and published the books of The Transformed Architecture.
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Glossary: Glossary {.unnumbered} in Architecture as Code gives the detailed explanations, practical examples and implementation patterns behind this summary.
This whitepaper belongs to “Appendices” and is one of 38 drawn from the manuscript.