---
title: "Terminology"
description: "Glossary of key terms and concepts in TraceRTM"
---

# Terminology

This glossary defines key terms used throughout TraceRTM documentation.

## Core Concepts

### Artifact

A discrete unit of work or documentation in TraceRTM. Artifacts include features, tests, code modules, APIs, wireframes, and more. Each artifact has a type, status, owner, and belongs to a project.

**Example**: A feature request "User Login" (FEAT-001) is an artifact.

### Link

A directional relationship between two artifacts. Links create the traceability graph and enable impact analysis.

**Example**: TEST-042 `tests` FEAT-001 (the test verifies the feature)

### Project

A container for related artifacts and links. Projects have settings, members, and workflow configurations.

### View

A lens or perspective for organizing artifacts. TraceRTM has 16 views:

| View | Description |
|------|-------------|
| FEATURE | Business requirements and user stories |
| CODE | Source code modules and classes |
| TEST | Test cases and test suites |
| API | API endpoints and schemas |
| WIREFRAME | UI mockups and designs |
| ARCHITECTURE | System architecture components |
| DATABASE | Data models and schemas |
| INFRASTRUCTURE | Deployment and hosting |
| CONFIGURATION | App settings and feature flags |
| DEPENDENCY | External packages and libraries |
| DATA_FLOW | Data pipelines and transformations |
| SECURITY | Security controls and policies |
| PERFORMANCE | Performance metrics and SLOs |
| MONITORING | Observability and alerting |
| DOMAIN_MODEL | Business domain entities |
| USER_JOURNEY | User experience flows |

### Traceability Matrix

A report showing relationships between artifact types. Common matrices:
- Requirements to Tests (test coverage)
- Features to Code (implementation status)
- Tests to Code (code coverage)

## Workflow Terms

### State

The current lifecycle stage of an artifact (e.g., draft, in_progress, done).

### Transition

Moving an artifact from one state to another. Transitions may have requirements.

### Workflow

The set of states and transitions for an artifact type.

## Agent Terms

### Agent

An automated actor (bot, AI, script) that interacts with TraceRTM via the API. Agents can create, update, and link artifacts.

**Types**:
- **Crawler**: Discovers artifacts from external sources
- **Analyzer**: Examines code/docs to suggest links
- **Linker**: Creates relationships between artifacts
- **Reporter**: Generates traceability reports

### Agent Coordination

The system for managing multiple concurrent agents. Includes heartbeats, locking, and conflict resolution.

### Heartbeat

Periodic signal from an agent indicating it's alive. Used for health monitoring.

## Relationship Terms

### Hierarchy

Parent-child relationships between artifacts. A feature can have sub-features; a test suite can have test cases.

### Implementation Link

Connection from code to the requirement it implements.
- `CODE-001 implements FEAT-001`
- `FEAT-001 realized_by CODE-001`

### Test Link

Connection from a test to what it verifies.
- `TEST-001 tests FEAT-001`
- `FEAT-001 verified_by TEST-001`

### Dependency Link

Connection showing one artifact depends on another.
- `FEAT-002 depends_on FEAT-001`
- `FEAT-001 blocks FEAT-002`

## Analysis Terms

### Impact Analysis

Determining what artifacts are affected when one changes. If FEAT-001 changes, which tests need updating? Which code modules?

### Cycle Detection

Finding circular dependencies in the artifact graph. Cycles can indicate design issues.

**Example**: A depends on B depends on C depends on A is a cycle

### Shortest Path

Finding the minimal link chain between two artifacts. Useful for understanding indirect relationships.

## Storage Terms

### Local Storage

File-based storage using Markdown files in a directory structure. Git-friendly.

### Database Storage

PostgreSQL or SQLite backend for production use.

### Sync Engine

Component that synchronizes local storage with database or remote server.

### Conflict

When the same artifact is modified in two places. Conflicts require resolution (local wins, remote wins, or manual merge).

## API Terms

### TraceRTMClient

The Python SDK for interacting with TraceRTM programmatically.

### REST API

HTTP endpoints for CRUD operations on projects, items, and links.

### Event

An immutable record of something that happened (item created, link added, etc.). Events form the audit log.

### Webhook

HTTP callback triggered by events. Used to notify external systems.

## CLI Terms

### rtm / tracertm

The command-line tool for TraceRTM.

### TUI

Terminal User Interface. An interactive text-based UI for TraceRTM.

### Config

Configuration file (`.tracertm/config.yaml`) with project settings.

## Common Abbreviations

| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|--------------|---------|
| RTM | Requirements Traceability Matrix |
| CRUD | Create, Read, Update, Delete |
| SDK | Software Development Kit |
| API | Application Programming Interface |
| CLI | Command Line Interface |
| TUI | Terminal User Interface |
| RBAC | Role-Based Access Control |
| JWT | JSON Web Token |

## Related Topics

- [Core Concepts](/user/concepts) - Overview
- [Data Model](/docs/getting-started/core-concepts/data-model) - Detailed structure
- [API Reference](/docs/api-reference) - Full API documentation
