Definitions and terminology
April 30, 2026 · View on GitHub
Quick reference for key terms used throughout the Boost. Each definition is searchable and hotlinkable from anywhere in the knowledge base.
Computing and systems
- What is a pipeline? — Automated CI/CD sequences
- What is pipefail? — Shell option to detect errors in pipes
- What is POSIX? — Standards for Unix-like system portability
- What is a shebang? — First line telling the OS which interpreter to use
Git and version control
- What is a git branch? (see Beginner track)
- What is a commit? (see Beginner track)
- What is a repository? (see Beginner track)
- What is version control? (see Beginner track)
AI and agents
- Agentic AI Foundation (AAIF)
- Model Context Protocol (MCP)
- Tool (in agentic contexts)
- Premium request (GitHub Copilot)
Learning and career
- Just-in-time (JIT) learning
- Starter vs. senior roles
To add a new definition: create a new file in definitions/ with the filename what-is-<term>.md and add a link to this index.
To link to a definition from elsewhere in the knowledge base, use: [term](../shared/definitions/what-is-<term>.md)
See Beginner Track for foundational content, or Advanced Track for next-level patterns.