Intermediate terms
Prompt Caching
API feature where a static prompt prefix (system instructions, large context) is cached server-side, dramatically reducing cost and latency on repeated calls that share the prefix.
1w ago
ai_ml intermediate
PDO Transactions PHP 5.1+ PDO wraps multiple queries in an atomic unit — either all succeed or all roll back.
1mo ago
php intermediate
PDO::ATTR_EMULATE_PREPARES PHP 5.1+
Controls whether PDO sends real prepared statements to the database or emulates them client-side in PHP.
CWE-89 OWASP A3:2021
1mo ago
php intermediate
PDOStatement::bindParam() vs bindValue() PHP 5.1+
Two PDO methods for binding variables to placeholders — bindParam() binds by reference (evaluated at execute), bindValue() binds by value (evaluated immediately).
1mo ago
php intermediate
PHP Generators PHP 5.5+
Functions using yield that produce values lazily — one at a time — instead of building a complete array in memory.
1mo ago
php intermediate
Permissions API HTML5
The Permissions API (navigator.permissions.query()) lets you check the current state of browser permissions — granted, denied, or prompt — before requesting sensitive APIs.
2mo ago
javascript intermediate
Pessimistic Locking
Pessimistic locking acquires an exclusive lock immediately on read — preventing any concurrent modification. Right for high-contention scenarios but reduces throughput.
2mo ago
concurrency intermediate
PHP 4 Objects Passed by Value (Pre-5 Gotcha) PHP 4.0+
PHP 4 copied objects on assignment — $b = $a created a full clone. PHP 5+ passes object handles by value (reference semantics). This was the biggest PHP 4 pain point.
2mo ago
php intermediate
PHP 8 — Key Features PHP 8.0+
PHP 8.0–8.4 introduced match expressions, named arguments, union types, nullsafe operator, fibers, enums, readonly properties, first-class callables, and a JIT compiler — the most significant evolution of the language since PHP 5.
2mo ago
php intermediate
PHP Execution Model — Shared-Nothing Architecture PHP 5.0+
Each PHP request runs in a completely isolated process or thread — no memory, globals, or state is shared between requests. Every request bootstraps the entire application from scratch and discards everything when it ends.
2mo ago
php intermediate
PHP SAPI Types (FPM, CLI, Embed) PHP 4.0+
SAPI (Server API) defines how PHP is invoked — php-fpm for web requests, php-cli for commands, embed for C extensions — each has different lifecycle and configuration.
2mo ago
php intermediate
PHP Version Upgrade Checklist PHP 5.0+
A systematic PHP upgrade process: check EOL status, run static analysis, update Composer deps, run Rector, test on new version in staging, then deploy — never upgrade directly in production.
2mo ago
php intermediate
Pluralisation Rules PHP 7.0+
Language-specific rules governing how word forms change based on quantity — English has two forms (1 item / 2 items), but many languages have three, four, or six distinct plural forms requiring different translations.
2mo ago
i18n intermediate
Producer-Consumer Pattern
Producer-Consumer decouples work generation from processing — producers add to a queue, consumers process independently, buffering load spikes and enabling parallel throughput.
2mo ago
concurrency intermediate
Progressive Web App (PWA)
A web application that uses modern browser APIs to deliver app-like experiences — installable on the home screen, working offline, and receiving push notifications — without requiring an app store.
2mo ago
mobile intermediate
Prometheus Concepts
Prometheus is a pull-based metrics system — services expose /metrics in text format, Prometheus scrapes them, stores as time series, and evaluates alerting rules via PromQL.
2mo ago
observability intermediate
Promise.allSettled / Promise.any / Promise.race ES2020
Three Promise combinators for handling multiple async operations — allSettled() waits for all to complete regardless of failure, any() resolves with the first success, race() resolves or rejects with the first to settle.
2mo ago
javascript intermediate
Promises & Futures PHP 7.0+
Abstractions representing the eventual result of an async operation — a Promise or Future is a placeholder for a value not yet available, enabling non-blocking code composition without nested callbacks.
2mo ago
concurrency intermediate
Push Notifications (Web)
Browser notifications delivered to users even when the web page is not open, implemented via the Push API and service workers — requiring explicit user permission and a server-side push service.
2mo ago
mobile intermediate
PHP 5 OOP Revolution — Objects by Reference PHP 5.0+
PHP 5 completely replaced PHP 4's object model — objects became reference-counted handles rather than copies, enabling true OOP with interfaces, abstract classes, visibility, and exceptions.
2mo ago
php intermediate