Intermediate terms
Safe Mode Removal & Modern Alternatives
PHP 4.0+
PHP's safe_mode was removed in PHP 5.4 — it provided false security. Modern alternatives are open_basedir, OS-level permissions, and containers.
3mo ago
security intermediate
satisfies Operator (TS 4.9)
4.9
satisfies validates that a value matches a type without widening the inferred type — keeping precise literal types while checking against an interface.
3mo ago
typescript intermediate
Stack Overflow from Deep Recursion
PHP 5.0+
PHP has no configurable stack size limit — deep recursion causes a fatal segfault or memory exhaustion, not a catchable exception.
3mo ago
php intermediate
Screen Readers — How They Parse HTML
HTML5
Screen readers build an accessibility tree — semantic HTML provides roles automatically; ARIA fills gaps for custom components.
3mo ago
accessibility intermediate
Search Indexing Pipeline
PHP 7.0+
The process of transforming raw content into a searchable index — extraction, normalisation, tokenisation, stemming, and index writing with incremental update strategies.
3mo ago
search intermediate
Search-as-You-Type Patterns
1
Implementing instant search suggestions as users type — debouncing requests, prefix indexing, highlighting matches, and managing loading/empty states.
3mo ago
search intermediate
Secure File Downloads
PHP 5.0+
Preventing path traversal, unauthorised access, and content injection when serving file downloads — validating paths, checking authorisation, and setting correct headers.
3mo ago
security intermediate
Sensitive Data in Logs
PHP 7.0+
Logging passwords, tokens, credit card numbers, or PII — log aggregators store data indefinitely and are often less secured than primary databases.
3mo ago
security intermediate
Service Workers & Offline Caching
ES2015
A JavaScript worker that intercepts network requests and serves responses from cache — enabling offline access, faster loads, and background sync.
3mo ago
frontend intermediate
Shift-Left Testing
Moving testing earlier in the development process — catching bugs at the developer's machine and PR stage rather than in staging or production.
3mo ago
devops intermediate
Signed Commits & GPG Verification
Cryptographically signing commits with GPG or SSH keys proves the commit was made by the stated author — important for supply chain security and verifying commit integrity.
3mo ago
git intermediate
SPL Iterators In Depth
PHP 5.1+
PHP's Standard PHP Library iterators — SplFileObject, DirectoryIterator, RecursiveIteratorIterator, FilterIterator, and LimitIterator — for memory-efficient file and data traversal.
3mo ago
php intermediate
SSL/TLS Certificate Types
DV (automated domain validation), OV (organisation verified), EV (deprecated green bar), Wildcard — Let's Encrypt provides free DV with automated 90-day renewal.
3mo ago
networking intermediate
Structural Subtyping with Protocol
Python 3.8+
1
Protocol classes define structural interfaces — any class with matching methods satisfies the protocol without explicit inheritance (type-safe duck typing).
3mo ago
python intermediate
Systemd Services & Unit Files
Systemd is the init system managing service lifecycle on modern Linux — unit files define how services start, stop, restart, and depend on each other.
3mo ago
linux intermediate
Safe Database Migration Patterns
PHP 5.0+ Expand-contract, backward-compatible migrations run alongside a zero-downtime deploy — never rename or drop columns in the same deploy as the code change.
3mo ago
database intermediate
SameSite Cookie Attribute
PHP 7.3+
A cookie attribute controlling whether the browser sends a cookie with cross-site requests, providing strong CSRF mitigation.
CWE-352 OWASP A1:2021
3mo ago
security intermediate
SAST vs DAST vs IAST
PHP 5.0+
Three automated security testing approaches: SAST analyses source code without running it, DAST attacks a running app from outside, IAST instruments the app from within during testing.
3mo ago
security intermediate
Searching Algorithms
PHP 5.0+
1
Linear search is O(n) and works on any array. Binary search is O(log n) but requires a sorted array. Hash lookup is O(1) and the right choice for most in-memory searches.
3mo ago
algorithms intermediate
Secret Rotation
The practice of periodically replacing cryptographic secrets, API keys, and credentials — limiting the window of exposure if a secret is compromised without triggering a breach.
3mo ago
devops intermediate