Jargon buster

Every world has its own slang, and building with AI is no different. The words below get thrown around as if everyone already knows them, which is not very fair on someone who is brand new. Here they are in ordinary English, with no jargon used to explain the jargon.

The basics

AI model. The actual "brain" behind a tool like Claude or ChatGPT. It is the trained software that reads what you type and writes something back. There are different models, some cleverer or faster than others, a bit like different engines in a car.

Prompt. Whatever you type to the AI to tell it what you want. Your message is the prompt. A clear, specific prompt gets you a better answer, the same way a clear request gets a better result from a person.

Token. The little chunks of text an AI reads and writes in, roughly a short word or part of a word. You will mostly see the word when a tool talks about limits or cost, because they are measured in tokens. You do not need to count them.

Chat vs Claude Code. The chat version is the website where you type and it types back, like texting. Claude Code is the same AI but working directly on your computer, able to create and change files for you. Chat is for talking and drafting. Claude Code is for building.

Terminal (command line). A plain text window where you type commands instead of clicking buttons. It looks bare and a little intimidating, but it is just another way to tell your computer what to do. This is where Claude Code lives.

Bug. Something in your project that does not work the way it should. Bugs are completely normal, not a sign you did anything wrong. You describe what went wrong to Claude and it helps you fix it.

Vibe coding. Building something by describing what you want in plain English and letting the AI write the actual code, rather than writing it yourself. It is the whole idea behind this course, and it is exactly what you are doing.

When you start building

Install. Putting a piece of software onto your computer so you can use it, like adding an app to your phone. Some tools need installing once before you can build with them.

Node.js. A free background tool that lets a lot of building software run on your computer. You will not use it directly. You install it once, and other tools quietly rely on it sitting underneath.

npm. A helper that comes with Node.js and fetches extra bits of software your project needs. When a setup guide tells you to type an "npm" command, it is just going to download and add something for you.

Front-end and back-end. The front-end is the part you see and click: the buttons, text, and colours. The back-end is the hidden part behind the scenes that does the work and stores the information. A simple local tool may be almost all front-end.

Saving and going online

Repository (repo). A folder for one project that also quietly keeps a history of every change you save. "Repo" is just short for repository. Each thing you build usually gets its own repo.

GitHub. A website where you can store your repos online, as a backup and so they live somewhere other than just your laptop. It is a popular, free place to keep projects safe.

Commit. Saving a snapshot of your project at a moment in time, with a short note about what changed. If something breaks later, you can look back at, or return to, an earlier commit. It is a save point you can name.

Push. Sending your saved commits from your computer up to GitHub, so the online copy matches the one on your machine. Commit saves locally, push uploads it.

.gitignore. A small list that tells the project to leave certain files out when you save or upload, so they never end up on GitHub. It is how you keep private things, like passwords or keys, off the internet by accident.

Local vs hosted (online). Local means it runs only on your own computer, for you. Hosted, or online, means it lives on the internet so other people can reach it. Local is simpler and more private. Going online is more involved.

Hosting. Renting space on a computer that is always switched on, so your project stays available on the internet even when your own laptop is closed. There are free options for small things.

Server. A computer that is always on and waiting to answer requests from other people's devices. When something is "hosted," it is running on a server somewhere. You do not need to own one.

Domain. The friendly web address people type to reach your project, like yourname.com. You buy one for a small yearly fee and point it at your hosting.

Logins and connecting things

API. A way for two pieces of software to talk to each other automatically. If your project needs to use another service, like sending an email or fetching the weather, it does it through that service's API.

API key. A secret password that proves it is really you when your project connects to another service through its API. Treat it like a password: keep it private and never put it on GitHub.

Sign-in / OAuth. The "Continue with Google" or "Continue with Apple" buttons you have clicked a hundred times. OAuth is the polite system behind them that lets you log in to one thing using your existing account somewhere else, without handing over your real password.

If a word ever pops up that is not here, you can always paste it to Claude and ask "what does this mean, in plain English, as if I am brand new?" That is one of the best uses for it.