Glossary — S
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Schema
The structure of your data. In a database: the tables, columns, types, relationships. In JSON/TypeScript: the expected shape of an object. Zod, Yup, and Valibot are popular libraries for defining and validating schemas in TypeScript.
See also: Schema design
SDK (Software Development Kit)
A library specifically meant to help you talk to a particular service. The Supabase SDK lets you query Supabase. The Anthropic SDK lets you call Claude. SDKs hide the raw HTTP details behind a nicer interface.
See also: API
Server
In the “client/server” model: the side that answers requests. Runs continuously waiting for requests. Could be a serverless function, a Node.js app, a Postgres database — anything that listens.
See also: Client vs server, Backend
Serverless
A cloud model where you write functions (not whole servers), the platform runs them on demand, and bills you per invocation. There is no “serverless” — there are still servers. The point is that you don’t manage them. Vercel functions, AWS Lambda, Cloudflare Workers are all serverless.
See also: Serverless functions, Edge
Session
In auth: the state of “this user is currently logged in.” Traditionally implemented with a session ID stored in a cookie, with the server-side session data kept in a database or memory. Modern apps often replace this with JWTs, though Supabase uses a hybrid.
See also: Sessions & cookies
shadcn/ui
A library of React components built on Tailwind and Radix UI. Distinct from most libraries: you don’t install it as a dependency — you use a CLI to copy the source code into your project. That makes the components yours to customize directly. The default UI library for new Next.js projects since 2024.
SSL / TLS
The cryptographic layer that turns HTTP into HTTPS. TLS (Transport Layer Security) is the current name; SSL is the older name (still used colloquially). When you see the padlock in the browser address bar, TLS is in use.
SQL (Structured Query Language)
The language for talking to relational databases. Pronounced “sequel” or “S-Q-L” depending on who you ask. Covers reading (SELECT), writing (INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE), and structure (CREATE TABLE, etc.). Surprisingly consistent across databases — most SQL works on Postgres, MySQL, SQLite, and SQL Server with small tweaks.
See also: SQL — the language, Postgres
SQL injection
A classic attack where attacker-controlled text is interpreted as SQL code by your database. Prevented entirely by parameterized queries — never building SQL with string concatenation from user input.
See also: SQL injection, OWASP top 10
SSR / SSG / ISR
Rendering strategies. SSR = Server-Side Rendering (HTML generated per request, on the server). SSG = Static Site Generation (HTML generated once at build time). ISR = Incremental Static Regeneration (built once, then refreshed in the background after a stale period). Next.js supports all three, sometimes mixed within the same app.
See also: SPA vs MPA vs SSR vs SSG
Supabase
An open-source backend-as-a-service: a managed Postgres database, plus auth, file storage, realtime subscriptions, and auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs. The Bible Quest project’s backend. Free tier is generous; paid tiers handle production workloads.
See also: Supabase, Postgres, RLS
SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)
An XML-based format for 2D vector images. Unlike PNG/JPEG, SVGs are made of shapes and paths, so they scale to any size without blurring. Editable in code. Most icons in modern web apps are SVGs.
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