Terms starting with "M"
Message Chains
A long chain of method calls ($a->getB()->getC()->getD()) that tightly couples code to the internal structure of multiple objects.
6mo ago
Code Quality intermediate
Method Length Guidelines
2
Short methods (ideally under 10–20 lines) are easier to understand, test, and name — length is a proxy for complexity.
6mo ago
Style beginner
Metrics Types
2
Counters (ever-increasing), Gauges (current value), Histograms (distribution), and Summaries — each suited to different measurement needs in monitoring systems.
6mo ago
Observability intermediate
Microservices
PHP 5.0+
1
An architectural style that structures an application as a collection of small, independently deployable services organised around business capabilities.
6mo ago
Architecture advanced
Middle Man
A class that does little more than delegate every method to another object — an unnecessary layer of indirection.
6mo ago
Code Quality intermediate
mime_content_type()
PHP 5.3+
Detects the actual MIME type of a file by inspecting its content — not its extension or the browser-reported type.
6mo ago
PHP intermediate
Mixed Indentation
A file using both tabs and spaces for indentation — causes misalignment across editors and tools.
6mo ago
Style beginner
Mob Programming
The whole team works on one task at one computer simultaneously — combining pair programming across the entire team for complex or knowledge-critical work.
6mo ago
General beginner
Mocking Best Practices (PHPUnit & Mockery)
PHP 5.0+ Guidelines for effective mocking: mock interfaces not classes, avoid over-mocking, prefer stubs for queries and mocks for commands.
6mo ago
Testing intermediate
Model Context Protocol (MCP)
PHP 8.0+
An open standard by Anthropic that defines how AI models connect to external tools and data sources — enabling LLMs to call APIs, read files, and query databases in a standardised way.
6mo ago
AI / ML advanced
Monolithic Architecture
A single deployable unit containing all application concerns — often the right starting point before extracting microservices.
6mo ago
Architecture beginner
Monorepo vs Polyrepo
Monorepos store multiple packages/services in one repository enabling atomic cross-service changes; polyrepos give each service independent versioning.
6mo ago
Architecture intermediate
move_uploaded_file()
PHP 4.0+
PHP's function for safely relocating an uploaded file from the temporary directory to its final destination.
OWASP A5:2021
6mo ago
PHP intermediate
Mutation Testing
PHP 7.1+
1
A technique that automatically modifies source code and checks whether tests fail — surviving mutations indicate test gaps even where line coverage appears complete.
6mo ago
Testing advanced
MVC Pattern
PHP 5.0+
1
Model-View-Controller — an architectural pattern that separates data (Model), presentation (View), and request handling (Controller).
6mo ago
Architecture beginner
MySQLi
PHP 5.0+
1
MySQL Improved Extension — PHP's MySQL-specific driver with prepared statement support, replacing the deprecated mysql_* functions.
6mo ago
PHP beginner
Magic Number
PHP 5.0+
1
A numeric literal with no explanation — its meaning is unclear without context, harming readability and maintainability.
7mo ago
Code Quality beginner