Glossary

Definitions of key terms and concepts used throughout the documentation.

A

ADR (Architectural Decision Record)

A document capturing an important architectural decision, including context, decision, and consequences.

See Decision Records.

Artifact

A file or output generated by the build process (e.g., binaries, libraries, containers).

Commands: get artifacts, show artifacts.

B

BDD (Behavior-Driven Development)

A development approach using executable specifications written in natural language (Gherkin).

See Specifications.

Build Pipeline

An automated sequence of steps that compile, test, and package code.

Commands: pipeline run, pipeline status.

C

CalVer (Calendar Versioning)

A versioning scheme based on dates (e.g., module-name/2024.01.15).

Used for module releases. See Versioning.

CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment)

Automated practices for integrating code changes and deploying to production.

See Continuous Delivery.

Compliance-Velocity Paradox

The traditional trade-off where increasing compliance requirements slow down delivery velocity.

Everything as Code resolves this by automating compliance as part of the delivery flow.

See The Compliance-Velocity Paradox.

Contract

A YAML file defining module metadata, dependencies, and configuration.

Validated against JSON schemas. See Contracts.

Cynefin Framework

A sense-making framework that helps categorize problems into domains (Clear, Complicated, Complex, Chaotic), to determine appropriate response strategies. Used to understand why compliance can be automated.

See Understanding Through Cynefin.

D

DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing)

Security testing that analyzes running applications to find vulnerabilities through simulated attacks.

Dependency Graph

A representation of module dependencies showing which modules depend on others.

Commands: show dependencies.

Diataxis

A documentation framework organizing content into tutorials, how-to guides, technical reference, and explanation. See DR-004.

DORA Metrics

Four key metrics for measuring software delivery performance: Deployment Frequency, Lead Time for Changes, Time to Restore Service, and Change Failure Rate.

See Measuring and Improving Flow.

E

EAC (Everything as Code)

Both a principle and a CLI tool:

The principle: All aspects of software development should be defined as code -- configuration, architecture, specifications, tests, and infrastructure.
The CLI: A standalone command-line tool (eac) that automates Everything-as-Code workflows including build, test, validate, scan, and release.

EAC can run as a standalone binary or optionally inside the CLIE extension host for containerized execution.

See Everything as Code.

Execution Order

The sequence in which modules should be built or tested based on their dependencies.

Extension

A Docker-based plugin for the CLIE CLI that provides additional commands.

EAC is available as the eac-ext:latest CLIE extension, but also runs as a standalone CLI without CLIE.

G

Gherkin

A business-readable, domain-specific language for describing software behavior.

Uses Given-When-Then syntax in .feature files.

M

MCP (Model Context Protocol)

A protocol enabling LLMs to use EAC commands as tools.

Module

A self-contained unit of code with its own contract, dependencies, and lifecycle.

Can be a library, service, command-line tool, or test suite. See Modules.

Component Type

A classification of modules (e.g., go-library, go-cli, go-commands).

Determines build, test, and deployment behavior. See Component Types.

Moniker

A unique identifier for a module (e.g., src-auth, eac-commands).

Used throughout commands to reference modules.

Mono-Repository

A repository containing multiple related modules managed together.

See DR-001.

O

OSCAL (Open Security Controls Assessment Language)

A standardized format for security documentation and compliance artifacts.

Commands: create risk-profile, create risk-assess.

P

Pipeline

An orchestrated sequence of build, test, and deployment steps. See Pipeline Commands.

R

CLIE (CLI Extender)

An optional enterprise CLI framework for containerized workflow execution.

EAC can run as a CLIE extension for reproducible Docker-based environments, or as a standalone executable (recommended).

See EAC Architecture.

Release Gate

A checkpoint in the release process requiring validation before proceeding.

See Quality Gates.

S

SAST (Static Application Security Testing)

Analysis of source code for security vulnerabilities without executing it.

Command: scan with --scanner sast.

SBOM (Software Bill of Materials)

A complete inventory of components in a software product.

Command: scan with --scanner sbom.

SemVer (Semantic Versioning)

A versioning scheme using MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH (e.g., 1.2.3). See Versioning.

Specification

A Gherkin .feature file describing software behavior in Given-When-Then format. See Specifications.

Suite

A named collection of tests grouped by purpose and test level. Standard suites: unit (L0-L1), integration (L2), acceptance (L3), production-verification (L4).

Commands: test suite, show suite.

See Test Suites.

T

TDD (Test-Driven Development)

A development practice of writing tests before implementation code. See Three-Layer Approach.

Template

A reusable document structure with placeholder variables for generating documentation. See Templates Commands.

Trunk-Based Development

A branching strategy where developers work on short-lived branches off a single main branch. See DR-002.

U

Unit of Flow

The smallest deployable unit that delivers value independently. See Unit of Flow.

V

Validation

The process of checking contracts, dependencies, specifications, and code against defined rules. See Validate Commands.

Value Stream Mapping

A lean management technique for visualizing the flow of work from request to delivery, identifying waste and bottlenecks.