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Software Engineering vocabulary · Release and Maintenance

Documentation

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

/ˌdɑːkjəmenˈteɪʃən/nounCommon term

In software engineering, documentation means: Written material that explains how software works and how to use, set up or change it, such as guides, API references and README files.

In Turkish: dokümantasyon, belgelendirme, belgeler

How it is used

Usually shortened to 'docs'. Developers read, write, update and link to documentation. Common complaints include 'The docs are out of date' and 'It's not in the documentation.'

Example sentences

  1. According to the documentation, the token expires after one hour.

  2. Please update the documentation when you change the config options.

Common collocations

  • read the documentation
  • update the documentation
  • API documentation
  • out-of-date documentation
  • technical documentation
  • APIShort for application programming interface: a set of rules that lets one program ask another program for data or actions in a fixed, documented way.
  • releaseA version of a product that is made available to users, or the act of making it available. Also a verb: to release a new version.
  • SDKShort for software development kit: a package of libraries, tools and documentation that helps developers build on a platform or use a service.
  • legacy codeOld code that is still in use, often written by people who have left, with little documentation or few tests, so it feels risky to change.

More terms: Release and Maintenance

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