Source code
The readable, editable description of a program from which its behaviour is produced.
A program’s editable foundation
Source code describes a program in a form developers can read and change. Build steps may produce other files from it; depending on language and environment, code is also processed at runtime. The executed result and its editable foundation should therefore be distinguished.
In a fictional example, a required field in a service form needs adjustment. The new team needs the relevant source and an understandable path to the result. Generated files may also require templates and the generator revision. A source package alone does not confirm that an application can be set up or usefully changed. Dependencies, configuration descriptions and appropriate checks belong with it; real secrets are managed separately and securely.
Sources
Related terms
- Package managerA tool for obtaining and managing software packages, their versions and dependencies.
- Version controlA system that records changes to tracked files and makes earlier states comparable.
- Legacy systemAn existing system still in use, with technical and business dependencies accumulated over time.
- Multi-tenancyMulti-tenancy supports separate customer or group scopes in one solution. A tenant is not automatically one person or one database.
- Browser cacheThe browser cache stores suitable HTTP responses for later use. Reuse and revalidation follow the applicable rules.
- Cache invalidationCache invalidation ends reuse of a stored copy under defined rules. The source record remains a separate concern.
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