Terms starting with "I"
Image Optimisation
PHP 7.0+
Serving images in modern formats (WebP, AVIF), at the correct size, with appropriate compression — typically the single biggest performance win for image-heavy pages.
6mo ago
Performance intermediate
Inconsistent Indentation
Mixing tabs and spaces, or using varying numbers of spaces for indentation — causes visual misalignment across editors and makes diffs noisy.
6mo ago
Style beginner
InnerSource
1
Open-source collaboration practices inside an organisation — any team can contribute to any internal repository, reducing silos.
6mo ago
General intermediate
Insecure Randomness
PHP 7.0+
1
Using non-cryptographic random functions (rand(), mt_rand(), array_rand()) for security tokens — these are predictable and enable token forgery, session prediction, and CSRF bypass.
6mo ago
Security intermediate
Interpreter Pattern
A grammar represented as a class hierarchy — used for search query parsers, expression evaluators, and rule engines.
6mo ago
Code Quality advanced
Intl API
ES2015
1
The built-in JavaScript internationalisation API — format numbers, dates, currencies, relative times, and lists correctly for any locale without external libraries.
6mo ago
JavaScript intermediate
Idempotency
4
An operation is idempotent if performing it multiple times produces the same result as performing it once — essential for safe retries.
6mo ago
General intermediate
Immutable Infrastructure
PHP 5.0+
2
Servers are never modified after deployment — to update, you build a new image and replace the old server entirely, eliminating configuration drift.
6mo ago
DevOps intermediate
Inappropriate Intimacy
Two classes that access each other's private fields and internals too freely, creating tight bidirectional coupling.
6mo ago
Code Quality intermediate
Incident Response
PHP 5.0+
6
A structured process for detecting, containing, investigating, and recovering from security incidents or system failures.
6mo ago
DevOps intermediate
include vs require vs *_once
PHP 5.0+
require halts on failure; include warns and continues. The _once variants prevent double-loading — use require_once for dependencies.
6mo ago
PHP beginner
Inconsistent Names Smell
Using different terms for the same concept across a codebase — fetchUser vs getUser vs loadUser — increases cognitive load and obscures relationships.
6mo ago
Code Quality beginner
Index Selectivity & Cardinality
PHP 5.0+
High-cardinality columns (user IDs, emails) make effective indexes; low-cardinality columns (boolean, status with 3 values) rarely benefit from single-column indexes.
6mo ago
Performance intermediate
Information Disclosure
PHP 5.0+
Unintentional leakage of sensitive data — stack traces, version numbers, internal paths — aids attackers in crafting targeted exploits.
CWE-200 OWASP A5:2021
6mo ago
Security beginner
5.3
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
PHP 5.0+
5
Managing servers, networks, and services through version-controlled machine-readable configuration files rather than manual processes.
6mo ago
DevOps intermediate
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Tools
6
Tools like Terraform, Pulumi, and AWS CDK that define cloud infrastructure in code — enabling version control, reproducibility, and automated provisioning.
6mo ago
Cloud intermediate
Infrastructure Drift
When the actual state of infrastructure diverges from its declared desired state — caused by manual changes, failed deployments, or out-of-band modifications that bypass IaC.
6mo ago
DevOps intermediate
Insecure Cookie
PHP 5.0+
Cookies without HttpOnly, Secure, and SameSite flags are vulnerable to theft via XSS, network interception, and CSRF.
CWE-1004 OWASP A2:2021
6mo ago
Security beginner
5.4
Insecure Deserialization
PHP 5.0+
Untrusted data passed to unserialize() can trigger PHP magic methods and lead to remote code execution.
CWE-502 OWASP A8:2021
6mo ago
Security advanced
9.8
Insecure Password Reset Flow
PHP 5.0+
Weaknesses in the password-reset mechanism allow attackers to take over accounts without knowing the original password.
CWE-640 OWASP A7:2021
6mo ago
Security intermediate
8.1