Hard Disk Drive
/ˌeɪtʃ-diː-ˈdiː/
n. “The traditional spinning disk that stores your data magnetically.”
HDD, short for Hard Disk Drive, is a type of data storage device that uses rotating magnetic disks (platters) to store and retrieve digital information. It has been the standard for decades, providing large storage capacities at relatively low cost, but it is slower and more fragile than SSD storage because it relies on mechanical components.
Key characteristics of HDD include:
SSD
/ˌɛs-ɛs-ˈdiː/
n. “The fast storage that has no moving parts.”
SSD, short for Solid-State Drive, is a type of data storage device that uses flash memory to store persistent data. Unlike traditional mechanical hard disk drives (HDDs), SSDs have no moving parts, which allows for faster read/write speeds, lower latency, higher reliability, and reduced power consumption.
Key characteristics of SSD include:
JIT
/ˌdʒeɪ-aɪ-ˈtiː/
n. “Compiling code at the exact moment it becomes useful.”
JIT, short for just-in-time compilation, is a runtime compilation strategy where source code or intermediate bytecode is translated into machine code while the program is running. Instead of compiling everything up front, the system waits, observes what code is actually being executed, and then optimizes those hot paths on the fly.
Ahead-of-Time Compilation
/ˌeɪ-oʊ-ˈtiː/
n. “Compiling code before it ever reaches the user.”
AOT, short for ahead-of-time compilation, is a compilation strategy where source code is translated into optimized machine code before the program is run. This contrasts with JIT (just-in-time compilation), where code is compiled at runtime as it is needed.
Content Delivery Network
/ˌsiː-diː-ˈɛn/
n. “A network that delivers content at the speed of thought.”
CDN, or Content Delivery Network, is a distributed network of servers strategically placed across the globe to deliver web content—such as HTML pages, images, videos, and scripts—quickly and reliably to users, regardless of their location. Instead of all requests going to a single origin server, a CDN caches content at edge locations, reducing latency, load times, and the chance of downtime.