The Sandbox
Now projecting · Drop #001 · 30 Oct 2026Dev lingo, decoded
The words you'll hear most when building a website or app, translated into plain English, each with an everyday comparison.
| Term | What it means | Everyday comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Stack | The set of tools and technologies a product is built with | The ingredients and kitchen equipment for a recipe |
| Front end | Everything the user sees and touches: screens, buttons, animation | The dining room of a restaurant |
| Back end | The hidden part that stores data and does the work: accounts, payments, sending emails | The kitchen |
| Full stack | Someone (or something) that does both front and back end | A chef who also serves the tables |
| HTML | The language that structures a web page: headings, paragraphs, images | The walls and rooms of a house |
| CSS | The language that styles it: colours, fonts, layout, animation | The paint and furniture |
| JavaScript (JS) | The language that makes it interactive: forms, effects, logic | The electricity and plumbing |
| Domain | Your web address, e.g. moreiraltd.com | Your street address |
| DNS | The internet's phone book that turns a domain into the server it points to | The post office knowing which house is which |
| Hosting | The computers that store your site and send it to visitors | The plot of land your house sits on |
| Server | A computer that runs all the time and answers requests | A shop that's always open |
| Static site | A site made of ready-made files, no database (like ours) | A printed brochure: fast, cheap, hard to break |
| CMS | A content management system: a dashboard to edit a site without code (WordPress, Webflow) | A whiteboard anyone can update |
| Database | Where data is stored and organised: users, orders, scores | A filing cabinet |
| API | A way for two pieces of software to talk to each other | A waiter taking your order to the kitchen |
| SSL / HTTPS | The padlock: encrypts traffic between visitor and site | A sealed envelope instead of a postcard |
| Responsive | Adapts to any screen size, from phone to desktop | A tailor-made suit for every body |
| UX | User experience: how it works and how easy it is | Whether a door is easy to open |
| UI | User interface: how it looks, the buttons and screens | What the door looks like |
| Wireframe | A rough grey layout with no styling, to agree structure | A floor plan |
| Mockup | A polished, static picture of the final design | An architect's rendering |
| Prototype | A clickable mockup that feels like the real thing, but isn't built | A show home |
| Vector | Artwork made of maths (lines and curves), sharp at any size: SVG, PDF, AI | A recipe you can scale up |
| Raster | Artwork made of pixels, blurry if enlarged: PNG, JPG | A photo of the cake |
| Repository (repo) | A project's folder of code, with its full history (on GitHub) | A shared folder that remembers every change |
| Deploy | Putting a new version live | Opening the doors after a renovation |
| SEO | Search engine optimisation: helping Google find and rank you | A sign on the main road |
| MVP | Minimum viable product: the smallest version worth launching | Opening with five dishes before the full menu |
| Sandbox | A safe, separate space to try things out without breaking the real thing (like this page) | A test kitchen |
No match. Try another word.
29 entriesScroll the screen for more
The Sandbox is our creative lab, where anything can happen. Every so often a new drop lands on the screen, and the old one moves to the archive below.
The archive
Past projections
Nothing in the archive yet. When the next drop lands on the screen, this one moves here.
From the studio
Notes & stories
Got a project on the radar?
Apps, simple mobile games, websites and brands. Tell us what you are building and we will get back to you within two working days.