Glossary

A

ACL

An ACL (Access Control List) is a list of instructions that are applied to the router interface. These instruction lists are used to tell the router which packets can be received and which packets need to be rejected. Whether a packet is received or rejected can be determined by specific indications such as the source address, destination address, port number, and so on.

ACSS

ACSS (Atomic Cascading Style Sheets)is a style language that describes the style of AXML components and determines how AXML components should be displayed. This approach to CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) architecture favors small, single-purpose classes with names based on visual function.

Android

Android is Google's mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open source software. The system is mainly used in mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets.

API

An API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of defined rules that explain how software programs communicate with each other. APIs serve as an intermediary layer between different software programs to facilitate their interaction.

app

An app, also known as a mobile application or a mobile app, is a software application designed to run on smartphones and other mobile devices.

App Container

App Container is a productive and secure runtime system that can run beautiful mini programs on both Android and iOS platforms, in apps that have mini programs integrated.

AXML

AXML is a set of tag languages designed by the mini program framework to describe the structure of mini program pages. The AXML syntax can be broken down into five parts: data binding, conditional rendering, list rendering, templates, and references.

app.json

The app.json file contains the global configurations of a mini program, such as the page paths, window display, network timeout, and other configurations.

B

backend running

The backend, often referred to as "server-side", usually handles the business logic and data storage for mini programs. Backend running, a status type, means that when a user closes a mini program or presses the Home button to leave a mobile app, the mini program is not closed but still running on the backend.

C

cold start

A cold start refers to the process of starting a mini program from scratch. This means that the mini program's process has not been created until this start. Cold starts happen in cases such as your mini program's being launched for the first time since the device booted, or since the system terminated the mini program.

cookies

Cookies are designed to be a reliable mechanism for websites to remember stateful information (such as items added in the shopping cart in an online store) or to record the user's browsing activity (including buttons clicked, pages visited, or login times).

CSS

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a style sheet language that describes the presentation of a document written in a markup language such as HTML or XML. It is used to create static elements on a web page, and can also be incorporated with other scripting languages to create dynamic elements on a web page. 

CDN

CDN (Content Delivery Network or Content Distribution Network) is a geographically distributed network of proxy servers and their data centers. A distributed network improves the speed and quality of web performances for end users.

D

DSL

DSL (Domain Specific Language) is a computer language specific to a particular application domain. This is in contrast to a general-purpose language (GPL), which is broadly applicable across domains.

DOM

The DOM (Document Object Model) is a programming API for HTML and XML documents. It defines the logical structure of documents and the way a document is accessed and manipulated. With the DOM, developers can create and build documents, navigate their structure, and add, modify, or delete elements and content.

E

ES

ES (ECMAScript) is a programming language adopted by the European Computer Manufacturer's Association (ECMA) as a standard for performing computations in web applications. It is a JavaScript standard to ensure the interoperability of web pages across different web browsers.

F

frontend running

The frontend, often referred to as "client-side", is what users can see and interact with on a mini program. Frontend running, a status type, means that after the user opens a mini program, the mini program is running on the frontend.

H

hot start

A hot start refers to when your mini program's process is already running in the background. In a hot start, all the system does is bring the mini program's activity to the foreground. This makes it a lot faster than a cold start because the activity is already present in memory. So the system has no need to repeat the initialization.

HTML

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the most basic building block of web pages. It is a markup language that defines the meaning and structure of web content. HTML consists of a series of elements, which you use to enclose or wrap different parts of the content to make it appear a certain way or act a certain way.

I

IDE

An IDE (Integrated Development Environment) is a software for building applications that combines common developer tools into a single graphical user interface (GUI). An IDE typically consists of a source code editor, local build automation, and a debugger. The IDE for mini program development is called Mini Program Studio.

iOS

iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is the operating system for iPhone, iPad, and other Apple mobile devices.

ISV

ISV (Independent Software Vendor) is an individual or organization that develops, markets, and sells software solutions that run on one or more computer hardware providers, operating systems, or cloud platforms. In a mini program, an ISV usually acts as the third-party service developer to develop and operate the mini program on behalf of merchants.

icon

An icon is a pictogram or ideogram displayed on a mini program in order to help the user navigate the mini program.

J

JS

JS (JavaScript) is a scripting language that is used by web developers to design interactive sites and implement complex features on web pages. It can interact with HTML source codes, enabling web developers to enhance websites with dynamic content.

JSON

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight, text-based, language-independent data interchange format. It uses human-readable text to store and transmit data objects consisting of attribute-value pairs and arrays. JSON is easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate.

JSAPI

JSAPI (JavaScript Application Programming Interface) is the client-side (frontend) API of mini programs. It can be divided into 14 major categories by functionality, which include interface, multimedia, cache, file, location, network, device, data security, sharing, favorites, custom general menu, mini program version, custom analysis, and update management.

L

lifecycle

Lifecycle refers to the process where a mini program is created, started, paused, evoked, stopped, and uninstalled. The lifecycle of a mini program can be divided into application lifecycle and page lifecycle.

M

mini program

Mini programs are sub-applications that run inside a mobile app. Users can run mini programs inside other apps, without further need to download or install the new (native) apps. Mini programs can perform a variety of functions like native apps.

mini program component

Mini program components are divided into basic components and extended components. Basic components implement basic functions such as view containers, texts, and forms in mini programs. Extended components are more complex, which include UI components and marketing components.

mini program framework

Mini program framework is a simple and efficient development framework, which allows developers to develop a mini program with native app services and experience. The entire mini program framework is divided into two layers: app and page. app refers to the whole program while page refers to the program's individual pages.

Mini Program Developer Portal

Mini Program Developer Portal, also called Mini Program Platform, is a website where external developers can get tools, resources, and documentation for mini program development. To get access to the portal, the third-party developer needs to register a developer account and submit the necessary KYC (Know Your Customer) document for verification purposes.

Mini Program Studio

Mini Program Studio is the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for developers to write codes for mini programs. It has a built-in simulator for previews, a debug console to monitor logs, and a full-fledged code editor that provides syntax lighting and auto-completion.

Mini Program Platform

Mini Program Platform, also called Mini Program Developer Portal, is a platform that supports full mini program development lifecycle and runtime operations. 

N

NPM

NPM (originally short for Node Package Manager) is the default package manager for the JavaScript runtime environment Node.js. It consists of a command-line client (also called NPM) and an online database of public and paid-for private packages (called the NPM registry). NPM puts modules in place so that node can find them, and manages dependency conflicts intelligently.

O

Open API

Open API is the server-side (backend) API of mini programs. With open APIs, mini programs can realize functions such as user authorization, acquisition of members' basic information, and acquisition of users' phone numbers.

P

page lifecycle

Page lifecycle refers to the period of a page from entry to departure or from one page to another in a mini program.

promotion QR code

Promotion QR code is the universal URL. It requires server-side integration and can be provided to users.

PV

A PV (pageview) is a web analytics term that refers to each time when a web page is successfully loaded onto a user's web browser.

Q

QR code

A QR code (Quick Response code) is a type of barcode. It is used to provide access to information or mini programs on a smartphone.

R

RPX

RPX (Responsive Pixel) refers to the units used in the mini program that are adaptive based on the screen width.

S

silence mode

In a mini program, the silence mode requires the user's consent on a native app to collect the required information. In contrast, the user consent mode is used to get public user information without further permission from the wallet users.

SJS

SJS (Safe/Subset Javascript) is a set of custom scripting languages for mini programs. It is used to build page structure in AXML.

SMTP

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol ) is a communication protocol for electronic mail transmission. It is used to send and receive emails.

SSL

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a standard security technology to establish an encrypted link between a server and a client. It provides privacy, authentication, and data integrity to Internet communications.

T

testing QR code

Testing QR code is the scheme of mini programs. There are two types of testing QR codes. One has a period of validity and the other is permanent. Testing QR code is only provided for developer-based testing and only requires client-side integration.

U

user consent mode

In a mini program, the user consent mode is the mode to get public user information without further permission from the wallet users.

UI

UI (user interface) refers to an interface that users actually see when they interact with a digital product. UI design involves the appearance and behavior of elements such as text input fields and control buttons that guide users to use the product.

URI

URI (Uniform Resource Identifiers) is a unique identifier used by web technologies. URIs may be used to identify anything, including real-world objects, such as people and places, concepts, or information resources such as web pages and books.

UTC

UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) is the primary time standard to regulate clocks and time. Mini programs display time in UTC as it is widely used across the world.

URL

A URL (Uniform Resource Locator), colloquially termed a web address, is a reference to a web resource that specifies its location on a computer network and a mechanism for retrieving it. A URL is a specific type of Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), although many people use the two terms interchangeably.

UV

A unique visitor (UV) is a person who visits a site at least once and is counted only once in a reporting period as determined by their IP address.

W

WebView

WebView is a view that displays web content inside the application. The mini program provides WebView components to implement this function.