Twenty terms come up in almost every first call with a developer: frontend, backend, API, database, CMS, domain, hosting, SSL, MVP, sprint, staging, QA, source code, native app, cross-platform app, payment gateway, LLM, RAG, AI pilot and developer account. If you know these tech terms for founders, you can follow the quote, ask better questions and spot vague answers. This guide explains each one in plain words, with Indian examples.

Written by the Ureka Technologies team

Key takeaways

  • Most quotes and contracts use the same 20 terms. Learn them once and you will not need a translator.

  • Four terms decide who controls your project: source code, domain, hosting and developer account. Make sure they are in your name.

  • MVP, sprint and staging tell you how the work will be delivered and checked.

  • AI terms like LLM, RAG and pilot are easy to misuse. Ask the vendor to explain each in one sentence.

Which tech terms for founders matter most before you hire a developer?

The ones that decide cost, ownership and delivery. Here is the full list in one table, so you can bookmark it. The sections after it explain each term with an example.

#

Term

One-line meaning

1

Frontend

What the user sees and taps

2

Backend

The part that stores data and runs the logic

3

API

A way for two software systems to talk to each

other

4

Database

Where your data is stored

5

CMS

A panel to edit website content without code

6

Domain

Your web address, like yourbusiness.in

7

Hosting

The computer where your site or app runs

8

SSL

The padlock that encrypts traffic

9

MVP

The smallest version that can be tested with real

users

10

Sprint

A fixed block of work, usually two weeks

11

Staging

A private copy for testing before launch

12

QA

Testing to find bugs before users do

13

Source code

The files that make the software

14

Native app

An app built separately for Android or iOS

15

Cross-platform app

One codebase that runs on both

16

Payment gateway

The service that takes UPI and card payments

17

LLM

The language model behind tools like ChatGPT

18

RAG

Letting an AI answer from your own documents

19

AI pilot

A small, time-boxed test of an AI idea

20

Developer account

Your account on Google Play or the App Store

What do frontend, backend, API and database mean?

These four describe how most software is split. Think of a restaurant.

The frontend is the dining room: the screens, buttons and forms a customer uses. The backend is the kitchen: it takes the order, checks stock, calculates the bill and saves everything. The database is the storeroom and the order register, where customer records, bookings and invoices live.

An API (application programming interface) is the waiter. It carries a request from one system to another. When your website shows a Razorpay payment box or fetches a delivery status from a courier, it is calling an API.

When a developer says "the frontend is done but the backend is pending" , the app looks finished but nothing is saved yet. That is a common reason a demo looks ready months before the product is.

What are a CMS, domain, hosting and SSL?

These four decide who controls your website after launch.

A CMS (content management system) is an admin panel where you change text, images and blog posts without touching code. WordPress is the best-known one. If you will update content every week, ask for a CMS.

A domain is your address on the internet, such as a .in or .com name. Hosting is the server that keeps your site running and reachable. SSL is the certificate that gives you the padlock and https in the browser. Without it, browsers show a "Not secure" warning.

Here is the trap we see often. A previous agency registers the domain or buys hosting in its own name, and the owner cannot move away later. Always ask: whose name is on the domain, hosting and SSL?

What do MVP, sprint, staging and QA mean?

These four describe how the work is delivered and checked.

An MVP (minimum viable product) is the smallest version of your idea that real users can try. It is not a cheap, bad version. It is the first version with only the features needed to learn whether people want it. Our post on MVP development cost in India goes deeper on this.

A sprint is a fixed block of work, often two weeks, that ends with something you can see or install. Short sprints mean you catch a wrong turn early, not after three months.

Staging is a private copy of your site or app where new changes are tried before the public sees them. QA (quality assurance) is the testing done on staging, on real phones, with real data. On a patchy 4G connection and a mid-range Android phone, things break that never break on a developer's laptop. Ask which devices are tested.

What is source code and who should own it?

Source code is the set of files a developer writes to build your software. It is kept in a repository, an online folder with a full history of every change. If you do not hold the source code, you cannot hire another developer to continue the work.

The owner of the code should be you, from day one. This sits at the top of our software development contract checklist, along with the domain, the hosting account and your data.

A simple test: ask your developer for read access to the repository. If the answer is "we will give it at the end" , treat that as a warning sign.

What is the difference between a native app and a cross-platform app?

A native app is built separately for Android and for iOS, each in its own language. A cross- platform app is built once and runs on both, using a toolkit such as Flutter or React Native.

Native

Cross-platform

Codebases

Two

One

Cost

Higher, you pay for two builds

Lower, one build

Best for

Heavy graphics, deep phone features

Most business apps

Updates

Done twice

Done once

For most Indian business apps such as bookings, orders, catalogues and dashboards, cross-platform is enough. If your app needs advanced camera, Bluetooth or games-level graphics, native may be worth the extra cost. Our app development cost guide shows how this affects the price.

What are a payment gateway and a developer account?

A payment gateway is the service that accepts UPI, cards and net banking on your site or app and sends the money to your bank. Razorpay and Cashfree are common in India. The gateway charges a fee on each transaction, separate from the developer's fee, and it needs your business documents to activate.

A developer account is your own account with Google Play or the Apple App Store. Google charges a one-time US$25 and Apple charges US$99 a year. Publish your app from an account in your name. If the app sits in your developer's account, they hold the keys to your product.

What do LLM, RAG and AI pilot mean?

An LLM (large language model) is the AI engine behind chat tools such as ChatGPT. It writes and answers in natural language, but it only knows what it was trained on.

RAG (retrieval-augmented generation) means the AI first looks up your own documents, such as price lists, policies or case files, and then answers from them. We explain it in detail in what is RAG in AI.

An AI pilot is a short, fixed-price test of an AI idea on your own data, with accuracy measured at the end. If the numbers are poor, you stop having spent a small amount. If you are unsure whether your business is ready, the AI readiness checklist for small businesses is a good first step.

Which questions should you ask once you know these terms?

Use the terms to test any vendor. Five questions are enough:

1. Whose name will the domain, hosting, store account and source code be in?

2. Will I get something I can see or install every two weeks?

3. Is there a staging link where I can test before launch?

4. Which phones and browsers will you test on?

5. What happens to my data if we stop working together?

Clear, short answers are a good sign. Long answers full of jargon, without ever naming who owns what, are not.

FAQ

What is the difference between frontend and backend?

The frontend is everything a user sees and taps, such as pages, buttons and forms. The backend is the hidden part that stores data, checks logins and runs business rules, such as calculating a bill or confirming a booking. Both are needed. If a developer says only the frontend is ready, the app may look finished but not save anything yet.

What is an API in simple words?

An API is a set of rules that lets two software systems exchange information. When your website shows a Razorpay payment box, or fetches a courier's tracking status, it is calling an API. You do not see it, but it saves developers from building every service from scratch and lets your systems work together.

What does MVP mean in app development?

MVP stands for minimum viable product. It is the smallest version of your app that real users can try, with only the features needed to learn whether people want it. It is not a low-quality product. It lets you test an idea in weeks and spend more only after you see real use.

Who should own the source code of my app?

You should, from day one. The source code is the set of files that make your software, and without it you cannot hire another developer to continue the work. Ask for access to the code repository during the project, and write ownership of the code, domain and store accounts into your contract.

What is the difference between a native and a cross-platform app?

A native app is built separately for Android and iOS, so you pay for two builds. A cross-platform app uses one codebase, with tools like Flutter, and runs on both. For most business apps such as bookings, orders and dashboards, cross-platform costs less and is enough. Native suits apps that need advanced phone features.