Glossary: AI and no-code terms explained

The AI-builder world is thick with jargon. Bookmark this glossary — it is updated as the vocabulary evolves. Vibe coding: building software by describing intent in natural language and reviewing what an AI agent produces, rather than writing code by hand. Agent: an AI system that does not just answer but acts — editing files, running commands, deploying — in a loop toward your goal. Prompt: any instruction you give an AI. In building contexts, usually a feature request or a bug report. Context window: the amount of conversation and code the AI can "see" at once. Long projects exceed it, which is why agents summarize or re-read files. MCP (Model Context Protocol): a standard that lets AI tools plug into external services — databases, browsers, APIs — as capabilities the agent can use. Deploy: publishing your app to a server so it is reachable at a URL. Modern platforms make this one command or one prompt. Environment variable: configuration stored outside your code — API keys, database addresses. The standard way to keep secrets out of the codebase. Webhook: a URL your app exposes so other services can notify it of events, like "payment succeeded". Migration: a scripted, versioned change to a database's structure, designed to run without losing existing data. OAuth: the standard behind "Sign in with Google/GitHub" — your app receives proof of identity without ever seeing the user's password. Missing a term? Post it in the feed under Help and we will add it here.