Glossary¶
Common terms used in Aksara documentation.
A¶
Action¶
A custom endpoint on a ViewSet, defined with the @action decorator. Actions can be detail routes (operating on a single object) or list routes (operating on the collection).
AI Mode¶
Aksara's integrated AI-powered development features including natural language queries, code generation, and intelligent debugging.
Agent¶
An AI agent that can execute multi-step tasks using tools. See Agent Runtime.
Annotation¶
Adding computed values to queryset results, typically using aggregate functions like Count, Sum, Avg.
Authentication¶
The process of verifying user identity. Aksara supports token-based and custom authentication backends.
B¶
Backend¶
A pluggable component that handles specific functionality. Examples: cache backend, authentication backend.
Bulk Operations¶
Database operations that affect multiple records at once (bulk_create, bulk_update).
C¶
Cache¶
Temporary storage for frequently accessed data to improve performance. Aksara supports memory and Redis backends.
Codegen¶
AI-powered code generation for models, viewsets, serializers, and tests.
Context Engine¶
Component that gathers relevant code context for AI operations.
CRUD¶
Create, Read, Update, Delete — the four basic operations for persistent storage.
D¶
Decorator¶
A Python pattern that wraps functions or classes. Aksara uses decorators for actions, caching, signals, etc.
Defer¶
Loading a model instance without specific fields, loading them on-demand when accessed.
Detail Route¶
A ViewSet endpoint that operates on a single object, using the lookup field (usually id).
E¶
Eager Loading¶
Loading related objects along with the main query to avoid N+1 queries. See select_related and prefetch_related.
Endpoint¶
A URL path that accepts HTTP requests and returns responses.
F¶
Field¶
A class that defines a database column and its behavior. Examples: String, Integer, ForeignKey.
Filter¶
Constraining queryset results based on field values.
FilterSet¶
A class that defines available filters for a ViewSet.
Foreign Key (FK)¶
A database relationship where one model references another model's primary key.
G¶
Generator¶
A Python construct that yields values lazily. Used in async iteration over querysets.
H¶
Handler¶
A function that responds to events (signals) or processes requests.
Hook¶
A point in the lifecycle where custom code can be executed. Example: pre_save, post_delete.
I¶
Index¶
A database structure that improves query performance on specific columns.
Instance¶
A single object of a model class.
Installed Apps¶
The list of applications registered in Aksara settings.
J¶
JSON Field¶
A field that stores JSON data, allowing nested structures.
JWT¶
JSON Web Token — a compact, URL-safe token format used for authentication.
K¶
Key (Primary)¶
The unique identifier for a model instance, usually a UUID.
L¶
Lazy Loading¶
Deferring data loading until it's actually needed.
List Route¶
A ViewSet endpoint that operates on the entire collection of objects.
Lookup¶
A query operator that specifies how to match values. Example: exact, contains, gt.
M¶
Manager¶
A class that provides the database query interface for a model (Model.objects).
Many-to-Many (M2M)¶
A relationship where multiple instances of one model can be related to multiple instances of another.
Meta¶
An inner class on models and serializers that defines configuration options.
Middleware¶
Code that processes requests and responses globally, before and after view handling.
Migration¶
A file that describes database schema changes, allowing version control of the database structure.
Model¶
A Python class that represents a database table.
ModelAdmin¶
Configuration class for displaying a model in the admin interface.
ModelSerializer¶
A serializer that automatically generates fields from a model definition.
ModelViewSet¶
A ViewSet that provides complete CRUD operations for a model.
N¶
N+1 Problem¶
A performance issue where querying N related objects results in N+1 database queries instead of 1-2.
O¶
ORM¶
Object-Relational Mapping — the system that maps Python objects to database tables.
Only¶
Loading a model instance with only specific fields, ignoring others.
P¶
Pagination¶
Dividing large result sets into smaller pages.
Patch Engine¶
AI component that applies code modifications safely with preview and rollback.
Permission¶
A class that determines whether a user can perform an action.
Prefetch Related¶
Loading reverse foreign key or many-to-many relations efficiently using a separate query.
Primary Key (PK)¶
The unique identifier field for a model instance.
Q¶
Query¶
A request to retrieve or modify data in the database.
Query Engine¶
AI component that converts natural language to database queries.
QuerySet¶
An object representing a database query that can be chained and lazily evaluated.
R¶
Read-Only¶
A serializer or field that can only output data, not accept input.
Related Name¶
The attribute name for accessing related objects from the reverse side of a relationship.
Request¶
An object containing information about an HTTP request (method, headers, body, user).
Response¶
An object containing information about an HTTP response (status, headers, body).
Routing¶
The process of connecting ViewSets to the application. In Aksara, this is done via urlpatterns lists in urls.py and include_viewset(app, ViewSet) — there is no separate Router class.
S¶
Schema Doctor¶
AI tool that analyzes database schema and suggests improvements.
Select Related¶
Loading foreign key relations efficiently using a JOIN query.
Serializer¶
A class that converts between Python objects and JSON (and validates input).
Signal¶
A notification sent when certain events occur, allowing decoupled code to respond.
Slug¶
A URL-friendly string, typically derived from a title (e.g., "hello-world").
T¶
Tenant¶
An organization or customer in a multi-tenant application.
Throttling¶
Rate limiting to prevent abuse of API endpoints.
Through Model¶
An intermediate model in a many-to-many relationship for storing extra data.
Token¶
A string used to authenticate API requests.
Transaction¶
A group of database operations that succeed or fail together.
U¶
UUID¶
Universally Unique Identifier — Aksara uses UUIDs as default primary keys.
V¶
Validation¶
Checking that data meets required criteria before processing.
ValidationError¶
An exception raised when data fails validation.
ViewSet¶
A class that groups related API endpoints (list, create, retrieve, update, delete, custom actions).
W¶
Write-Only¶
A serializer field that can only accept input, not appear in output (e.g., passwords).