© Copyright IBM Corp. 2020. All rights reserved.  247
Glossary
Application Programming Interface (API)
An interface that allows an application program that is 
written in a high-level language to use specific data or 
functions of the operating system or another program.
Bare metal machine
A dedicated, fully-customizable physical server that can 
be used for virtualization or web hosting.
CI/CD
Continuous Delivery/Continuous Integration
Continuous Delivery (CD)
A practice by which you build and deploy your software so 
that it can be released into production at any time.
Continuous Integration (CI)
A process where developers integrate their code more 
frequently to identify integration issues earlier when they 
are easier to fix.
Command Line Interface (CLI)
A computer interface in which the input and output are 
text-based.
Cloud computing
A computing platform where users can access 
applications or computing resources as services from 
anywhere through their connected devices.
Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF)
A consortium to promote cloud-native technologies and 
principles, and provide guidance to the cloud community. 
Although CNCF is not intended to be a standards body, 
they do have criteria and a review board before a project 
can join. 
Cloud native
How an application is built and deployed. A cloud native 
application consists of discrete, reusable components that 
are known as microservices that integrate into any cloud 
environment.
Cloud provider
An organization that provides cloud computing resources.
Container
A system construct that allows users to simultaneously 
run separate logical operating system instances. 
Containers use layers of file systems to minimize image 
sizes and promote reuse.
Containerization
A practice of encapsulating or packaging up software 
code (containers) and all its dependencies so that it can 
run uniformly and consistently on any infrastructure. 
Container Orchestration
Manages the deployment, placement, and lifecycle of 
containers. See Kubernetes.
CRI-O 
An integration point between Kubernetes and container 
runtimes that makes pods (groups of containers) work in 
Kubernetes clusters.
Dashboard
A user interface component that provides a 
comprehensive summary of pertinent information from 
various sources to the user.
DevOps
A software methodology that integrates application 
development and IT operations so that teams can deliver 
code faster to production and iterate continuously based 
on market feedback.
Dockerfile
A text file that contains instructions to build a Docker 
image.
Hybrid cloud
A cloud computing environment that consists of multiple 
public and private resources.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
The delivery of a computer infrastructure, including server 
functionality, networking functionality, data center 
functionality, and storage functionality, as an outsourced 
service.
Identity and Access Management (IAM)
The process of controlling access of authorized users to 
data and applications, at the same time helping 
companies comply with various regulatory requirements.
Image
A file and its execution parameters that are used within a 
container runtime to create a container. The file consists 
of a series of layers, combined at runtime, that are created 
as the image is built by successive updates. 
Instance
An entity that consists of resources that are reserved for a 
particular application or a service.
Internet of Things (IoT)
A global network of endpoints that can capture or 
generate data. For example, a smartphone, smart watch 
and back-end server might all communicate with each 
other, sending data back and forth, or even to other 
devices within the network.