Glossary
Tech terms in plain language
30 terms you will hear when building a website or system, each with a one-line definition, an Iraqi example and a link to the related service.
- ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
- One system that brings accounting, inventory, purchasing, sales and branches into a shared database instead of separate programs.
- Example: A Baghdad wholesaler sees each item's stock in its Shorja warehouse and its Basra branch on one screen.
- Related service: ERP systems
- CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
- A system that keeps every customer, every contact with them and every deal in one place, so no lead is lost between salespeople.
- Example: A real estate company in Erbil logs every WhatsApp enquiry and knows which agent follows it up and when.
- Related service: CRM and sales systems
- POS (Point of Sale)
- The software and hardware at the till: it records the order, prints the receipt, reads barcodes and updates stock with every sale.
- Example: A restaurant in Karrada sends dine-in orders from the cashier screen to the kitchen and prints the customer's receipt.
- Related service: Point of sale (POS)
- API (Application Programming Interface)
- An agreed way for two systems to exchange data automatically, without a staff member copying it by hand.
- Example: An online store sends each order to the delivery company through an API, and the tracking number reaches the customer without a phone call.
- Related service: ERP systems
- SaaS (Software as a Service)
- Software you use in the browser or an app for a monthly or yearly subscription, while the developer runs the servers and updates.
- Example: A pharmacy in Najaf subscribes monthly to a ready-made POS instead of buying software and installing it on its computer.
- Related service: Hosting and support
- UX (User Experience)
- How easily a user gets what they want from a website or app, from the first screen to finishing the task.
- Example: A Baghdad delivery app lets customers order in three taps instead of filling in a long form.
- Related service: Mobile apps
- UI (User Interface)
- The visual side of a website or app: colors, fonts, buttons and how elements are laid out on screen.
- Example: A private school app shows grades and fees in clear Arabic type with large buttons suited to parents.
- Related service: Mobile apps
- Hosting
- The always-online server that stores your website or system files so people can reach them.
- Example: An Iraqi online store picks fast hosting so its pages load quickly on mobile internet across the governorates.
- Related service: Hosting and support
- Domain
- Your website's address that people type into the browser, registered and renewed every year.
- Example: A travel agency in Karbala registers a domain in its own name rather than the developer's.
- Related service: Websites and online stores
- SSL certificate
- A certificate that encrypts the connection between the browser and the site, showing the padlock and the https address.
- Example: A store taking ZainCash payments needs SSL so customer data cannot be read in transit.
- Related service: Hosting and support
- Cloud
- Servers run by a specialist provider, where you rent the capacity you need instead of buying a server for your office.
- Example: A company with branches in Baghdad and Erbil runs its system in the cloud so every branch reaches it over the internet.
- Related service: Hosting and support
- Database
- The organized store where a system keeps all its records, such as items, customers and invoices, and retrieves them on request.
- Example: A clinic in Basra keeps every patient's file and visits in a database instead of paper notebooks.
- Related service: ERP systems
- Backend
- The part that runs on the server and users never see: it stores data, applies the rules and sends results to the app.
- Example: In a delivery app, the backend assigns each order to the nearest driver and calculates the fare.
- Related service: Mobile apps
- Frontend
- The part users see and interact with in the browser or app: pages, buttons and forms.
- Example: The product page of an Iraqi clothing store, with its photos and add-to-cart button, is the frontend.
- Related service: Websites and online stores
- Responsive design
- Design that automatically rearranges the page to fit phone, computer and tablet screens.
- Example: Most visitors to a Baghdad restaurant's site open it on a phone, so the menu must be readable without zooming.
- Related service: Websites and online stores
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Preparing a site's pages and content so they appear in Google results when people search for what you offer.
- Example: A dental clinic in Mansour writes a page for each treatment so it shows up for people searching for braces in Baghdad.
- Related service: Websites and online stores
- CMS (Content Management System)
- A control panel where you edit the site's text, images and products yourself without writing code.
- Example: A perfume store in Erbil adds new products and prices from its control panel without calling the developer.
- Related service: Websites and online stores
- Payment gateway
- A service that connects a store or app to an electronic payment method so customers pay inside the site.
- Example: An Iraqi online store connects ZainCash and Qi Card so customers pay before shipping instead of cash on delivery.
- Related service: Websites and online stores
- MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
- The smallest version of a product with only the core features, launched quickly to test the idea with real customers.
- Example: A pitch-booking app idea in Mosul starts with booking and payment only, adding reviews and offers once demand is proven.
- Related service: Mobile apps
- Cross-platform app
- An app written in one codebase that runs on both Android and iPhone, cutting time and cost compared with building two apps.
- Example: A Basra delivery company launches its customer app on Android and iPhone on the same day.
- Related service: Mobile apps
- AI agent
- Software that understands customer messages in their own language, replies, and carries out tasks such as booking or taking an order, handing over to staff when needed.
- Example: A clinic in Najaf has an agent that answers WhatsApp in Iraqi Arabic and books appointments at midnight.
- Related service: AI agents
- LLM (Large Language Model)
- An AI model trained on a huge amount of text so it understands and writes language; it is the engine inside AI agents.
- Example: An Iraqi store's agent uses a large language model to understand a price question in dialect and answer from the product list.
- Related service: AI agents
- WhatsApp Business API
- Meta's official connection that lets a system or AI agent send and receive WhatsApp messages automatically from the company's number.
- Example: A private school in Hillah sends absence alerts to parents on WhatsApp automatically from its system.
- Related service: AI agents
- Backup
- A regular copy of a system's data kept somewhere else, so it can be restored if a machine fails or something is deleted by mistake.
- Example: A wholesaler in Sulaymaniyah restores all its accounts after a computer failure because its system backs up daily.
- Related service: Hosting and support
- SLA (Service Level Agreement)
- A written clause in a support contract that sets response time, fix time and system uptime.
- Example: A Baghdad pharmacy chain requires a set response time in its contract if the POS stops in any branch.
- Related service: Hosting and support
- Offline mode and sync
- A system's ability to keep selling and recording when the internet drops, then upload everything to management when the connection returns.
- Example: A supermarket cashier in Diwaniyah keeps selling during an outage, and sales reach management once the connection is back.
- Related service: Point of sale (POS)
- HR and payroll system
- A system that keeps employee files, records attendance and leave, and calculates salaries, advances and deductions automatically.
- Example: A factory in Basra calculates its workers' month-end pay from fingerprint attendance instead of by hand.
- Related service: HR and payroll
- Online store
- A website that shows products and prices, takes orders and payment, and tracks shipping, so it sells around the clock.
- Example: A Baghdad electronics shop sells to customers in every governorate from its online store and ships with a local courier.
- Related service: Websites and online stores
- Source code
- The program text a website or system is built from; whoever owns it can change it or move it to another developer.
- Example: An Iraqi company writes into its contract that it owns the source code, so it is never tied to one developer.
- Related service: Websites and online stores
- Dashboard
- A screen that gathers the key numbers and reports in one place so a manager sees how the business is doing at a glance.
- Example: The owner of a Baghdad restaurant chain sees each branch's sales for the day on a dashboard on their phone.
- Related service: ERP systems
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