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Software Engineering vocabulary · Programming Concepts

Library

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

/ˈlaɪbreri/nounCore term

In software engineering, library means: A collection of ready-made code that other programs can use, so that developers don't have to write common things like date handling or HTTP requests themselves.

In Turkish: kütüphane, yazılım kütüphanesi

How it is used

You install, import, use and update libraries, usually through a package manager such as npm or pip. A 'third-party library' is one written by people outside your team.

Example sentences

  1. Don't write your own date parser; there's a library for that.

  2. We had to update the logging library because of a security issue.

Common collocations

  • import a library
  • third-party library
  • open-source library
  • update a library
  • standard library
  • frameworkA ready-made structure for building applications that gives you rules, tools and common parts, so you only write the code that is specific to your product.
  • dependencyA library, service or other piece of software that your code needs in order to work, so a change or failure in it can affect your project.
  • third-partyMade or provided by an outside company or developer, not by your own team, such as a payment service, library or analytics tool.
  • SDKShort for software development kit: a package of libraries, tools and documentation that helps developers build on a platform or use a service.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Programming Concepts

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