OpenID-Connect

/ˌoʊ-pən-aɪ-di kəˈnɛkt/

n. “One login to rule them all… with modern flair.”

OpenID Connect is an authentication protocol built on top of the OAuth 2.0 framework. It allows clients—typically web and mobile applications—to verify the identity of a user based on the authentication performed by an identity provider (IdP) and to obtain basic profile information about that user in a secure and standardized way.

SAML

/ˈsæm-əl/

n. “Speak once, be heard everywhere.”

SAML, short for Security Assertion Markup Language, is an open standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data between parties, specifically between an identity provider (IdP) and a service provider (SP). Its core purpose is to enable Single Sign-On (SSO) across different domains securely and efficiently.

SSO

/ˌɛs-ɛs-ˈoʊ/

n. “One login to rule them all — but responsibly.”

SSO, short for Single Sign-On, is a user authentication method that allows individuals to access multiple applications or services with a single set of credentials. Instead of remembering separate usernames and passwords for each system, users log in once, and the authentication is trusted across integrated services.

OAuth

/ˈoʊ-ˌɔːθ/

n. “Let someone borrow your keys without giving them the whole keyring.”

OAuth, short for Open Authorization, is a protocol that allows secure delegated access to resources without sharing credentials. Instead of giving a third-party app your username and password, OAuth enables the app to access certain parts of your account on your behalf via tokens that can be scoped and revoked.

Internet of Things

/ˌaɪ-ō-ˈti/

n. “When your toaster starts talking to your thermostat, politely.”

IoT, short for Internet of Things, refers to the vast ecosystem of physical devices, sensors, appliances, and vehicles that are connected to the internet and can collect, send, and receive data. Unlike traditional computers or smartphones, IoT devices are embedded in everyday objects — from smart fridges and thermostats to industrial machinery and wearable health monitors.

Application Programming Interface

/ˌeɪ-pi-ˈaɪ/

n. “Talk to the machine without learning its secrets.”

API, short for Application Programming Interface, is the set of rules, protocols, and tools that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. Think of it as a contract: you send requests in a specified format, and the system responds in a predictable way. APIs are everywhere — powering web services, mobile apps, cloud platforms, and even operating system features.

Cascading Style Sheets

/ˌsiː ɛs ˈɛs/

n. “Make it pretty, or at least legible.”

CSS, short for Cascading Style Sheets, is the language of visual expression on the web. It tells browsers how to render HTML content, dictating colors, fonts, spacing, layout, and even subtle animations. Without CSS, the web would be a monochrome, blocky, and unforgiving place — essentially plain-text chaos sprinkled with links.

W3C

/ˌdʌbəl.juː ˈθriː ˈsiː/

n. “Decide how the web should behave… then argue about it for years.”

W3C, short for World Wide Web Consortium, is the primary standards body responsible for defining how the modern web is supposed to work — not in theory, but in practice, across browsers, devices, and decades of accumulated technical debt. Founded in 1994 by Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web itself, the W3C exists to prevent the web from fragmenting into incompatible dialects controlled by whoever shouts the loudest.

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