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Glossary

This glossary defines ERP-specific terms, technical concepts, and Atlas ERP-specific terminology used throughout the documentation.

A

API (Application Programming Interface)

A set of protocols and tools for building software applications. Atlas ERP provides both REST and GraphQL APIs for integration.

Authentication

The process of verifying the identity of a user or system. Atlas ERP uses Better Auth with support for email/password, magic links, and OAuth.

Authorization

The process of determining what actions an authenticated user is permitted to perform. Implemented through role-based access control (RBAC).

B

Background Job

A task that runs asynchronously outside the main request-response cycle. Atlas uses BullMQ for background job processing.

Better Auth

The authentication library used by Atlas ERP, providing flexible authentication methods and session management.

BullMQ

A Redis-based queue system for handling background jobs and asynchronous tasks in Atlas ERP.

C

Cache

A high-speed data storage layer. Atlas uses Redis for caching frequently accessed data to improve performance.

Chart of Accounts (COA)

A structured list of all accounts used in the general ledger, organized by account type (assets, liabilities, equity, revenue, expenses).

Cloud-Native

An approach to building applications designed to run in cloud environments, leveraging scalability and resilience features.

CRUD

Create, Read, Update, Delete - the four basic operations of persistent storage.

D

Database Migration

A version-controlled change to the database schema. Atlas uses Prisma migrations to manage schema changes.

Deployment

The process of making an application available for use. Atlas can be deployed to Vercel, Cloudflare Pages, Render, and other platforms.

Dependency Injection

A design pattern where dependencies are provided to a class rather than created by it. Used extensively in NestJS.

E

Employee Self-Service (ESS)

A portal allowing employees to access and manage their personal information, leave requests, payslips, and other HR-related data.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

Integrated management software that helps organizations manage and automate core business processes across finance, HR, supply chain, and more.

Environment Variable

Configuration values stored outside the application code, typically in .env files, used to configure different deployment environments.

F

Finance Module

The Atlas ERP module that handles accounting, invoicing, expense tracking, and financial reporting.

Frontend

The client-side part of the application that users interact with. Atlas uses Next.js and React for the frontend.

G

General Ledger (GL)

The primary accounting record that tracks all financial transactions across all accounts in the chart of accounts.

GraphQL

A query language for APIs that allows clients to request exactly the data they need. Atlas provides a GraphQL API alongside REST.

Guard

In NestJS, a class that determines whether a request should be handled by a route handler, typically used for authentication and authorization.

H

HR Module

The Human Resources module that manages employee data, recruitment, onboarding, leave management, and performance tracking.

HRMS (Human Resource Management System)

Software that manages HR functions including employee records, payroll, benefits, and performance management.

I

i18n (Internationalization)

The process of designing software to support multiple languages and regions. Atlas uses Lingui for i18n support.

Idempotent

An operation that produces the same result whether executed once or multiple times, important for API reliability.

J

JWT (JSON Web Token)

A compact, URL-safe token format used for authentication. Atlas uses JWTs for API authentication and session management.

L

Leave Management

The process of tracking employee time-off requests, approvals, and leave balances within the HR module.

Loki

A log aggregation system used in Atlas's optional observability stack for centralized logging.

M

Middleware

Software that acts as a bridge between different applications or components. In NestJS, middleware processes requests before they reach route handlers.

Migration

See Database Migration.

Module

A logical grouping of related functionality. In Atlas ERP, modules include HR, Finance, Projects, and ESS. In NestJS, modules organize application structure.

Monorepo

A software development strategy where code for multiple projects is stored in a single repository. Atlas uses Turborepo for monorepo management.

Multi-Tenancy

An architecture where a single instance of software serves multiple customers (tenants), with data isolation between them.

N

NestJS

The Node.js framework used for Atlas ERP's backend API, providing structure and features like dependency injection.

Next.js

The React framework used for Atlas ERP's frontend, providing server-side rendering, routing, and API routes.

O

OAuth

An open standard for access delegation, allowing users to grant applications access to their information without sharing passwords. Atlas supports Google OAuth.

Observability

The ability to measure and understand the internal state of a system through logs, metrics, and traces. Atlas includes optional Grafana + Loki integration.

ORM (Object-Relational Mapping)

A technique for converting data between incompatible type systems. Atlas uses Prisma ORM for database interactions.

P

Payroll

The process of calculating and distributing employee compensation, including salaries, deductions, and taxes.

PostgreSQL

The relational database system used by Atlas ERP for data persistence.

Prisma

The ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) tool used by Atlas ERP to interact with the PostgreSQL database.

Projects Module

The Atlas ERP module for project management, tracking tasks, milestones, time tracking, and resource allocation.

Q

Queue

A data structure for managing tasks to be processed asynchronously. Atlas uses BullMQ with Redis for job queues.

R

RBAC (Role-Based Access Control)

An access control method where permissions are assigned to roles, and users are assigned to roles. Used throughout Atlas ERP.

Redis

An in-memory data store used by Atlas for caching and job queue management.

REST (Representational State Transfer)

An architectural style for building web APIs. Atlas provides RESTful endpoints alongside GraphQL.

Role

A set of permissions defining what actions a user can perform. Atlas includes roles like Admin, Manager, Employee, and Accountant.

S

SaaS (Software as a Service)

A software licensing model where applications are hosted centrally and accessed over the internet. Atlas ERP is designed for SaaS deployment.

Schema

The structure of a database, defining tables, columns, relationships, and constraints. Atlas uses Prisma schema definition.

Seed Data

Initial data loaded into a database for development or testing purposes.

Session

A server-side storage of user state and authentication information, maintained across multiple requests.

SSR (Server-Side Rendering)

Rendering web pages on the server before sending them to the client. Next.js provides SSR capabilities.

T

Tenant

In multi-tenancy, a tenant is a group of users who share access to a specific instance of the software with isolated data.

Transaction

A sequence of database operations treated as a single unit of work, ensuring data consistency (ACID properties).

Turborepo

A high-performance build system for JavaScript and TypeScript monorepos, used by Atlas to manage multiple packages.

TypeScript

A typed superset of JavaScript used throughout Atlas ERP for type safety and better developer experience.

U

Upstash

A serverless Redis provider that Atlas can use for caching and queue management in production.

V

Vercel

A cloud platform for deploying Next.js applications. Atlas frontend can be deployed to Vercel.

W

WebSocket

A protocol for full-duplex communication channels over a single TCP connection, enabling real-time features in Atlas.

Workspace

In monorepo terminology, a package or application within the repository. Atlas has workspaces for frontend (web) and backend (api).

Z

Zustand

A lightweight state management library used in Atlas ERP's Next.js frontend for managing client-side application state.

Additional Resources

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