Glossary

admin

noun

In software, a user role with full administrator privileges to manage all functionality.
In Adobe Commerce, admin users have full permissions and access to all features, options, and capabilities in the Admin.
They can also create users and roles.

Learn more: Adding Users

Term attributes:

Admin area

noun

The password-protected back office of your store where orders, catalog, content, and configurations are managed.
Users access the Admin area to manage the store, including products, orders, shipments, CMS content, design of the storefront, customer information, and so on.
Admin users have an associated role with permissions that controls access to features, options, and capabilities.

Learn more: Adobe Commerce User Guide

Term attributes:

ADMIN variables

noun

ADMIN variables are project environment variables to override the configuration settings for the Admin user account to access the Admin UI.

Learn more: ADMIN variables

Term attributes:

adminhtml

noun

The internal area name assigned to the Admin.

Learn more: Adobe Commerce User Guide

Term attributes:

area

noun

Area is an abstract term for a Magento application scope.
Areas are logical components that organize code for optimized request processing.
Areas reduce the memory demands of configuration objects accessed from the storefront, and they streamline web service calls by loading only the required dependent code.
Each area can contain completely different code to process URLs and requests.

Adobe Commerce areas include:

Term attributes:

attribute

noun

A characteristic or property of a product that describes some aspect of the product.
Adobe Commerce users can create custom attributes to add to the default attribute set or a custom attribute set.
Create these attributes through the Admin or programmatically.
Examples: color, size, weight, price, age, gender, and so on.

Custom attributes are a type of Entity-Attribute-Value (EAV) attribute.

For integrations like Google Shopping ads Channel and Amazon Sales Channel, you map Commerce attributes to attributes in the third-party to properly display and sell products, display ads.

Learn more: EAV and extension extension_attributes

Term attributes:

attribute group

noun

A logical grouping of attributes within an attribute set.

Term attributes:

attribute set

noun

A collection of attribute groups, customized for a specific product.
Example: A T-shirt attribute set might include color, size, gender, and brand.

Term attributes:

average inventory cost

noun

Product price, less coupons, or discounts, plus freight and applicable taxes.
The average is determined by adding the beginning cost of inventory each month, plus the ending cost of inventory for the last month of the period.

Term attributes:

B

base currency

noun

The primary currency that is used per store view for all online payments.
Stores can accept currencies from more than 200 countries around the world.
The store front provides a currency selector for multiple accepted currencies for a specific country or locale.
Currency symbols appear in product prices and sales documents such as orders and invoices.
You can customize the currency symbols as needed and set the display of the price separately for each store or view.

Learn more: Currency

Term attributes:

batch processing

noun

To perform a task or change multiple items all at once, without manual repetition.

Term attributes:

block

noun

A unit of page output that renders some distinctive content - a piece of information, a user interface element - anything visually tangible for the end-user.
Blocks are implemented and provided by modules.
Blocks use templates to generate HTML.
Examples of blocks include a category list, a mini cart, product tags, and product listing.

Dynamic blocks provide content based on logic, such as price rules.

Page Builder expands on the interactivity and creation of blocks and dynamic blocks.

Term attributes:

brand

noun, verb

A unique identity that defines a particular product or group of products by the manufacturer or Designer.
These include name brands for clothing, appliances, luxury items, and so on.
Your company may also be the brand, selling products under multiple brands based on the business unit, target audience, and so on.

Use custom attributes to save brand information for products.

Some extensions and integrations may use or require a brand for your products, such as Google Shopping ads Channel and Amazon Sales Channel.

Term attributes:

brick-and-mortar

adjective

A retail business with a permanent physical location, as opposed to businesses that function virtually or solely through the internet.

For Inventory Management and Order Management, this store is a source for tracking product quantities, shipping orders, and supporting in-store pickup.

Term attributes:

bulk operations

noun

Bulk operations are actions that are performed on a large scale.
Example bulk operations tasks include importing or exporting items, changing prices on a mass scale, and assigning products to a warehouse.

Learn more: DevDocs Bulk Operations

Term attributes:

bundle product

noun

Lets customers assemble a “build your own” customizable product from various options and configurations.
Each item in the bundle is either a separate simple or virtual product.

Learn more: Configurable Products

Term attributes:

bundled extension

noun

The code that extends or customizes Adobe Commerce behavior is considered a Bundled Extension.
It can include modules, themes, and language packs.

Term attributes:

C

cache backend

noun

Stores cache records into a two-level backend system within Zend’s default framework.
A first-level cache is fast — for example, an APC or Memcached backend — but it is limited and does not support tagging and grouping of cache entries.
A second-level cache — for example, a file system or a Redis backend — is slower but supports tagging and grouping.

Term attributes:

cache frontend

noun

Specifies what kind of data is stored in the cache backend.

Term attributes:

cache type

noun

A cache stores data so that future calls for that data load faster.

Adobe Commerce includes these types:

Other types can be created and defined.

Term attributes:

capture

verb

The process of converting an authorized order amount into a billable transaction.
Transactions cannot be captured until authorized, and authorizations cannot be captured until the goods or services have been shipped.

Term attributes:

cardholder

noun

A person who is authorized by a financial institution to make purchases on a credit card account.

Term attributes:

cart rules

noun

Price rules that are applied to the shopping cart and trigger an action in response to a set of conditions.
Used to create promotions.

Term attributes:

catalog

noun

For merchants, the catalog represents their product inventory.
Within Adobe Commerce architecture, the catalog consists of categories, products, and product attributes.

Each Commerce store has only one product catalog, which is shared by all store views.
In a multi-store installation, each store can have a separate catalog, or share the catalog.
The current store catalog is determined by the default root category, visible to the user in the top navigation (main menu) of the store.
(The term “root category” may be confusing, because the “root category” isn’t really a category at all, but a container for the menu, which consists of categories and subcategories.)

You can create as many root categories as you want, but only one (the default) can be used at a time.

Term attributes:

catalog rules

noun

Price rules that are applied to specific products and trigger an action in response to a set of conditions.
Used to create promotions.

Term attributes:

category

noun

A group of products that have something in common.
The main menu of the store is organized into categories and subcategories of products.

Term attributes:

checkout

noun

The process of gathering the payment and shipping information that is necessary to complete the purchase of items in the shopping cart.
After the customer reviews the information and submits the order, an email confirmation is sent to the customer.

Checkout has many options and configuration out-of-the-box and through extension.

Learn more: Checkout Tutorial

Term attributes:

cloud variables

noun

Cloud variables are environment variables specific to Adobe Commerce on cloud infrastructure and use the MAGENTO_CLOUD prefix.

Learn more: Cloud variables

Term attributes:

CMS block

noun

A special variant of block that can only be created in the Admin and cannot be referenced through layout files.

Term attributes:

complex data

noun

Data that is associated with multiple product options.

Term attributes:

component

noun

Used to refer to a module, theme, or language package in Adobe Commerce.

Term attributes:

configurable product

noun

A configurable product looks like a single product with drop-down lists of options for each variation.
Each option is actually a separate simple product with a unique SKU, which makes it possible to track inventory for each product variation.
To achieve a similar effect, a simple product can be used with custom options, but without the ability to track inventory for each variation.
Products with multiple options are sometimes referred to as composite products.

Although a configurable product uses more SKUs, and may initially take a little longer to set up, it can save you time in the end.
If you plan to grow your business, the configurable product type might be a better choice for a product with multiple options.

Example: T-shirts that are available in two colors and three sizes.
Six variants must be created as individual products (each with its own SKU).
Then, all variants are added to a configurable product where customers can choose the size and color, and then add it to their cart.

Term attributes:

conversion rate

noun

The percentage of visitors who are converted into buyers.

Term attributes:

core tier scaling

noun

Core tier scaling consists of three service nodes for data storage, cache and services, such as OpenSearch, Elasticsearch, MariaDB, Redis.

Term attributes:

credit memo

noun

A document issued by the merchant to a customer to write off an outstanding balance because of overcharge, rebate, or return of goods.
The memo restores funds to the customer’s account.

Term attributes:

credit memo comment

noun

Details why a credit memo amount was credited to the customer.

Term attributes:

credit memo item

noun

An invoiced item for which a merchant creates a credit memo.

Term attributes:

cross-sell

noun, adjective, verb

A product that appears next to the shopping cart.
When a customer navigates to the shopping cart page, these products are displayed as cross-sells to the items already in the shopping cart.
They are similar to impulse buys, like magazines and candy at the cash registers in grocery stores.

Term attributes:

CVM

noun

An abbreviation for “Cardholder Verification Method”.
A way to verify the identity of the customer by confirming a 3-digit or 4-digit credit card security code with the payment processor.

Term attributes:

D

database schema

noun

The structure of data in a database.
Defines how data is organized and how data relationships are governed, including all constraints applied to the data.
A module can contain fragments of the database schema if that module has data that must be stored in the database.

Term attributes:

dependency injection

noun

A software design pattern that allows a class to specify its dependencies without having to construct them.
This class delegates the responsibility of injecting the dependency to the calling class.
Used to make testing easier.
To define dependencies for classes, edit the di.xml configuration file.

Term attributes:

deploy key

noun

A deploy key is your project SSH public key and enables read-only or read-write (if enabled) access to a Git repository.

Learn more: Secure connections

Term attributes:

double opt-in

noun, verb

An email verification process that requires potential subscribers to complete a second step that confirms their intention to subscribe.

Term attributes:

downloadable product

noun

A digitally downloadable product that consists of one or more files that are downloaded, such as an eBook, music, video, software application, or an update.
You can offer an album for sale and sell each song individually.
A downloadable product can deliver an electronic version of your product catalog.

Downloadable files can reside on your server or be provided as URLs to any other server or content delivery network.

Term attributes:

dynamic content

noun

Content that is generated by code rather than read from a static template.
After dynamic content is initially rendered when a user visits a page, sometimes the content can be cached and reused without requiring another dynamic call upon a revisit.

Term attributes:

dynamic media URL

noun

A URL address that is generated dynamically by the system to reference an image or other media.
The address links directly to assets stored on a server or a content delivery network.
To use a static URL, change the configuration setting.
However, if dynamic media URLs are included in your catalog when you disable the setting, each reference in your catalog becomes a broken link.
Links can be restored by again enabling dynamic media URLs.
Using dynamic media URLs can affect catalog search performance.

Code format: media url=“path/to/image.jpg”

Term attributes:

E

ece-tools package

noun

A set of scripts and tools designed to manage and deploy the Commerce application. This package simplifies many Adobe Commerce on cloud infrastructure processes, including deploying to a Docker environment, managing crons, verifying project configuration, and applying Adobe patches.

Learn more: ece-tools package

Term attributes:

entity

noun

A unique unit or object in programming.
Contains attributes or parameters that can be modified.
Examples include staging — where an update can change entities such as price rules, products, or categories — and database records — where service contracts include data structures that are sent and received.

Term attributes:

entity attribute value

noun

For database entities, a data model that efficiently encodes entities.
Stores the entity id, attribute name, and value as a triple, which allows new entity attribute names to be created at any time.
In encoding, the number of attributes that can be used to describe entities can scale extensively, but the number that applies to a given entity is minimized.
This data model is flexible, but can be slow.

Learn more: EAV and extension extension_attributes

Term attributes:

evergreen content

noun

Content that has a long shelf life or content that can be reused.

Term attributes:

extension

noun

Code that extends or customizes Adobe Commerce behavior.
You can optionally package and distribute an extension on Commerce Marketplace or another extension distribution system.
A Commerce extension can include modules, themes, and language packs.

Term attributes:

extension attribute

noun

Extend functionality and often use more complex data types than custom attributes. These attributes do not appear on the GUI.

Learn more: Adding extension attributes to entity

Term attributes:

F

freight on board

noun

In international shipping, this term means that the receiving party is responsible for the shipping charges.
FOB can be based on the place of origin or destination, and be designated as either freight collect or freight prepaid.

Term attributes:

frontend

adjective

In a client-server application, there is the backend and frontend.
The frontend component, or client, is an interface that enables users to manipulate or interact with the underlying backend code.
Backend code runs on a server.
A user cannot directly access backend code.
A user interacts with the storefront, which in turn uses code running on the Commerce server.

Note: In the past, the storefront has been referred to as the “frontend”, and the Admin has been referred to as the “backend”. This usage is no longer supported.

Term attributes:

frontend properties

noun

Properties that determine the presentation and behavior of an attribute from the standpoint of the customer in your store.

Term attributes:

fulfillment

noun

The process of managing customer shipments.

Term attributes:

G

gift card

noun

A prepaid card or gift certificate that can be used to make purchases in the store.
Each gift card is assigned a unique code which is entered at checkout.
The value of the gift card is reflected in the gift card account balance.
There are three types of gift cards:

A gift card can also be redeemed by the store administrator on customer request when the order is being created in the backend.

Gift cards also help promotions, as store administrators can manually create the gift card accounts in the backend and send the gift card codes to the specific customer segment.
Gift cards can serve as a loyalty program targeted at the most active customers who make numerous purchases from the web store or a specific promotional campaign during the holidays.

Term attributes:

gross margin

noun

The difference between the cost and price of a product.

Term attributes:

grouped product

noun

A product type with several similar, standalone products grouped on a single page.
Can be offered with variations of a single product or by grouping them by season or theme to create a coordinated set.
Each product can be purchased separately, or as part of the group.

For example, for a knife that is available in four sizes, all four knives can be displayed within a grouped product page.
Customers can select the sizes they want and add them to the cart from this page.

Term attributes:

H

handle

noun

Generally, a handle is a way to reference an object.
In Adobe Commerce, handles are used in many places, most commonly to identify a page.
For page handles, the handle name is derived from the URL, then used to locate and load the layout files for the referenced page.
For example, in the Customer module, there is a layout file called “view/frontend/layout/checkout_cart_index.xml”.
Here “frontend” is the area name and “checkout_cart_index” is the handle name, both of which are derived from the URL.

Term attributes:

horizontal scaling

noun

Horizontal scaling (also known as scaling out) is the process of adding additional nodes or machines to your infrastructure to meet growing demand.

Term attributes:

I

interception

noun

The process of injecting new code before, after, or around an existing public function of a PHP class.

To intercept a function, a plug-in implements the additional code to be invoked.
Plug-ins are associated with interception points by the dependency injection configuration file (di.xml).
If multiple plug-ins are defined on the same function, the dependency injection configuration defines the order in which the plug-ins are invoked, allowing multiple plug-ins to be used without conflict.

Term attributes:

L

layout

noun

In the construction of a Commerce page, a layout is a series of blocks assembled in a hierarchy, representing the structure of the page.

Page layout files focus on the highest level of page structure (header, footer, main content area, left sidebar, and so on).
Layout files then assemble content (blocks) into these different areas on the page.

Term attributes:

layout instructions

noun

Markup in a layout file that describes changes to be applied to a structured element tree of blocks, containers, and UI components.
A single layout file can contain multiple layout instructions.
Layout instructions are encoded in XML in layout files.

Term attributes:

layout update

noun

Used for snippets of code that are added to modify the XML layout or to import the layout instructions from another file.

Term attributes:

License Owner

noun

The License Owner (also known as Account Owner) is the designated person in a business organization that manages payments and other business-related issues for the Adobe Commerce on cloud infrastructure account.
This person serves as the point of contact with Adobe.
After a business purchases an Adobe Commerce on cloud infrastructure subscription, initial project and code access is available only to the person designated as the License Owner.

Term attributes:

M

MAGEID

noun

MAGEID is typically the billing contact on the Adobe Commerce account (and may not be the Project Owner of the Adobe Commerce on cloud infrastructure project).
For access entitlement to Adobe Commerce and Adobe Commerce on cloud infrastructure packages, you must use access keys associated with a MAGEID that has been granted access to those packages.

Learn more: Get your authentication keys

Term attributes:

markup

noun

In marketing and retail, a percentage added to the cost of an item to determine the retail price.
Configure the markup, or markdown, of a product through product customizable options.

In development, a computer language that controls the processing, presentation, and formatting of text.
Also, markup tags are snippets of code that add functionality or content to a CMS page or block.

Term attributes:

master environment

noun

On Adobe Commerce on cloud infrastructure, Pro projects use an active Platform as a Service (PaaS) environment called master that includes a copy of your Production environment database and web server.

Term attributes:

merchant account

noun

An account with a bank or financial institution that makes it possible to accept credit card transactions.

Term attributes:

MFTF

noun

MFTF is a Functional Testing Framework.
It provides a testing framework for Commerce developers and software engineers, such as QA specialists, PHP developers, and system integrators.
Developers and QA can write tests to attempt user interactions with web applications, verify functionality, and automate regression testing.

Term attributes:

module

noun

Code that changes or extends features provided by the Magento application.
A module is contained in a directory structure that contains PHP and XML files (configuration, blocks, controllers, helpers, models, and so on) related to a specific functionality to deliver a distinct collection of product features.
The purpose of each module is to provide specific product features by implementing new functionality or extending the functionality of other modules.
Each module is designed to function independently, so the inclusion or exclusion of a particular module does not impact the functionality of other modules.

A module can also implement widgets, which are page elements that can be customized by business users in the Admin.

Modules can be disabled or removed without breaking the consistency of the Magento application.
One exception: When the module depends on other modules, which requires disabling or removing the dependent modules.

Term attributes:

payment gateway

noun

A payment gateway is a third-party service that seamlessly processes credit card transactions without the customer leaving the merchant’s site.

Term attributes:

R

related product

noun

A selection of products that is presented as an incentive to purchase additional items.
For example, if the customer is viewing the product page for a camera, the related products might include other comparable cameras, a camera case, and a tripod.

Term attributes:

S

sales rules

noun

Includes cart and catalog rules, which are used to price a product for promotions.

Term attributes:

scope

noun

In Adobe Commerce, scope describes the extent of your store hierarchy that a setting can affect.
Scope can apply to the following:

Within the hierarchy, settings applied at a lower level can override some higher-level settings.

Term attributes:

service contract

noun

A set of PHP interfaces that are defined for a module.
A service contract includes data interfaces, which preserve data integrity, and service interfaces, which hide business logic details from service requestors such as controllers, web services, and other modules.
Web APIs can be bound to service contracts via configuration files.

Term attributes:

settlement

noun

Settlement occurs when the acquiring bank and the issuer exchange funds and the proceeds are deposited into the merchant account.

Term attributes:

Shared Catalog

noun

A feature that allows merchants to create a catalog that can serve as their entire catalog or a subset of it, and then assign custom prices for one or more products.
Merchants can then assign this catalog to one or more companies.

For example, a B2B merchant has three customers who have negotiated specific rates for the merchant’s electronics distribution site.
Using the shared catalog feature, the merchant has:

Term attributes:

shipment

noun

A shipment contains products to be delivered and generates a record of the products in an order that have been shipped.
More than one shipment can be associated with a single order.

Term attributes:

shipment document

noun

A document that accompanies a shipment. The document lists the products and their quantities in the delivery package.

Term attributes:

shipping carrier

noun

A company that transports packages. Common carriers include UPS, FedEx, DHL, and USPS.

Term attributes:

shopping cart

noun

The set of products that a customer has selected to purchase, but has not yet purchased.
Also refers to an area of an ecommerce site where these products can be found to review and checkout.

Term attributes:

simple product

noun

The most basic product type, a physical item with a single SKU.
Simple products have various pricing and input controls which makes it possible to sell variations of the product.
Simple products can be used in association with grouped, bundle, and configurable products.
A simple product with custom options is sometimes referred to as a composite product.

Term attributes:

SKU

noun

Abbreviation for Stock Keeping Unit.
A number or code assigned to a product to identify the product, options, price, and manufacturer.

Term attributes:

splash page

noun

A promotional page with a product or advertisement; normally displayed before the home page.

Term attributes:

static block

noun

A modular unit of content that can be placed by a user in the CMS on a page to display text and images, or execute snippets of code.
Static blocks contain editable content and can act as landing pages for product categories.
Widgets can be added to static blocks to provide additional functionality.

Term attributes:

static content

noun

User-generated content (not generated by code) that does not change frequently.

Term attributes:

static files

noun

The collection of assets, such as CSS, fonts, images, and JavaScript that is used by a theme.

Term attributes:

store

noun

The Commerce scope level of “store” is the second level of your website’s hierarchy, which goes as follows: website > store > store view.
Stores can be organized into one or many. Each store, potentially, has its own root category, and all share catalog and customer data.

Each store can have multiple store views, which are typically used to present the storefront in a different locale and language.

Term attributes:

store view

noun

The Commerce scope level of “store view” refers to the third level in the hierarchy of websites, stores and store views.
Store views typically present the storefront in a different locale and language.
To change store views, use the store chooser in the header.

Term attributes:

storefront

noun

The online store that customers experience when they visit your Commerce site.

Term attributes:

T

tax rule

noun

A combination of a product tax class, customer tax class, and tax rate. This rule defines which tax calculation is applied.

Term attributes:

template

noun

Short for HTML template or PHTML template.
A PHTML file contains a mixture of HTML markup and PHP code to inject dynamic content into the HTML.
Most blocks have at least one PHTML (template) file that contains the static HTML generated by the block.
In the Admin, email and newsletter templates combine text, images, and variables with HTML markup to produce personalized content that is sent by the system.

Term attributes:

theme

noun

Contains graphics and appearance information.
Customizes the look and feel of the store.
Adobe Commerce can ship themes in (Composer) packages.
But themes can be placed under app / design, which is not shipped in a package.
Packages are the unit of download for Composer, and — via Commerce Marketplace — Commerce users can download CE or EE as a series of packages, where packages contain modules, themes, or language packs.

Term attributes:

U

UI component

noun

A tag designed for Adobe Commerce software to enable simpler and more flexible user interface (UI) rendering.
The goals of the UI component system include the following:

Learn more: UI Components guide, Page Builder

Term attributes:

UPWARD

noun

PWA Studio uses UPWARD in development.
UPWARD is an acronym for Unified Progressive Web App Response Definition.
An UPWARD definition file describes how a web server delivers and supports a Progressive Web Application.

UPWARD definition files provide details about server behavior using platform-independent, declarative language.
This allows a Progressive Web Application to run on top of an UPWARD-compliant server in any language on any tech stack because the application is only concerned about the HTTP endpoint behavior from the UPWARD server.

An UPWARD server uses a definition file to determine the appropriate process or service for a request from an application shell.
It describes how the server should handle a request and build the response for it.

A PWA project can include an UPWARD definition file to specify its service dependencies.

Term attributes:

V

Vendor Bundled Extension

noun

Vendor-produced code that extends or customizes Commerce behavior and operates as a third-party extension is considered a Vendor Bundled Extension (VBE).
VBEs are thoroughly tested and included with each supported version of Adobe Commerce.
A VBE can include modules, themes, and language packs.

Learn more in the Vendor Bundled Extension topic.

Term attributes:

vertical scaling

noun

Vertical scaling (scaling up) refers to increasing the processing power of a single server or cluster by adding disk or network I/O, CPUs, or RAM.

Term attributes:

virtual product

noun

Represents a non-physical product that can be sold, such as a membership, service, warranty, or subscription.
Virtual products can be sold individually, or included as part of the following product types: grouped product and bundle product.
Does not require shipping or inventory.

The process of creating a virtual product and a simple product is nearly the same.
However, because a virtual product is not shipped, there is no Weight field or option to include a gift card.

Term attributes:

virtual type

noun

Virtual types are a way to inject different dependencies into existing PHP classes without affecting other classes and without having to create a class file.
Virtual types can only be referenced by argument overrides in a <type> element within di.xml files, never in source code.
They can’t be extended and they can’t be references as dependencies in a classes constructor.

Term attributes:

W

website

noun

In the Adobe Commerce software, the highest level of a website hierarchy, above store and store view.
You can have multiple websites, and each website can have a different domain name.
Websites can be set up to share customer data, or to not share data.

Term attributes: