What is Docker?
Docker is a container platform that packages applications and their dependencies into lightweight, portable containers — making development, testing, and deployment more consistent and scalable.
DevOpsRead
ELI5
Concepts Simplified
Explain Like I'm 5Explain
Like I'm 5
From AI to databases, we explain the hard stuff In Plain English — no jargon, no gatekeeping. Just real talk and examples.
Want the big picture? Keep scrolling.
Browse by Topic
Everything
67 entries
What is Function Calling in LLMs?
Function calling lets LLMs trigger tools and APIs with structured outputs — powering agents, plugins, and real-world actions.
AI TechnologyRead
What is Quantization?
Quantization is a technique for making AI models smaller and faster by reducing the precision of their weights and activations, enabling efficient deployment on edge devices.
AI ConceptsRead
Popular
What is Prompt Engineering?
Prompt engineering is how you 'talk' to AI tools. It’s the art of crafting instructions that guide large language models to do what you want.
AI TechnologyRead
What is Serverless?
Serverless is a cloud model where you run code without managing infrastructure. Write small functions, deploy them instantly, and let the cloud handle everything else.
InfrastructureRead
What is Rust?
Rust is a modern programming language that blends the performance of C with safety guarantees, making it ideal for system programming, WASM, and scalable backends.
Programming LanguagesRead
What is an Embedding?
Embeddings are how AI understands language. They turn words into numbers — where closeness means similarity — and power everything from search to recommendations.
AI ConceptsRead
What is a Vector Database?
Vector databases store meaning, not just data. They help AI tools retrieve relevant info based on semantic similarity — essential for modern search and LLM grounding.
AI InfrastructureRead
Popular
What is WebAssembly (WASM)?
WebAssembly (WASM) is a powerful binary format that lets you run fast, compiled code in the browser or on the edge — giving web apps access to near-native speed.
Web TechnologyRead
What is Conditional Computation?
Conditional computation is a neural network technique where only relevant parts of the model are activated for each input, enabling efficient scaling and resource use.
AI ConceptsRead
What is JSON-RPC?
JSON-RPC is a minimal protocol for calling remote functions using JSON. It's used in LLMs, blockchains, and tools like MCP to standardize interop.
Web TechnologyRead
What is CI/CD?
CI/CD is the automation backbone of modern software delivery — helping teams build, test, and ship faster and with fewer bugs.
Software DevelopmentRead
What is a JavaScript Engine?
JavaScript engines are the virtual machines inside browsers and runtimes like Node.js that parse, optimize, and execute your JavaScript code.
JavaScriptRead
What is a Container?
Containers package your app and its dependencies into a single, isolated unit that can run anywhere — consistently and securely.
DevOpsRead
Popular
What is Mixture of Experts (MoE)?
Mixture of Experts (MoE) is a neural network architecture that enhances efficiency and scalability by activating only relevant sub-networks (experts) for each input.
AI ConceptsRead
What is a Large Language Model (LLM)?
Large Language Models (LLMs) are the brain behind AI tools like ChatGPT. They generate text by predicting the next word, trained on huge datasets.
AI TechnologyRead
What is Fine-Tuning in LLMs?
Fine-tuning in LLMs involves adapting pre-trained language models to specific tasks or domains, enhancing their performance and efficiency in specialized applications.
AI TechnologyRead
What is Context Length in LLMs?
Context length determines how much information an LLM can process at once. Learn how it works, why it matters, and how devs work around its limits.
AI TechnologyRead
What is Model Pruning?
Model pruning is a technique for making neural networks smaller and faster by removing unnecessary weights or neurons, enabling efficient deployment on edge devices.
AI ConceptsRead
How Do LLMs Use Tools?
Tool use allows LLMs to access external APIs and services — turning them into intelligent orchestrators, not just predictors.
AI TechnologyRead
Popular
What is Retrieval-Augmented Generation?
Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) lets AI systems find and use real information — so they're grounded in your data, not just what they were trained on.
AI TechnologyRead
Popular
What are Tiny LLMs?
Tiny LLMs are compact language models designed for efficiency, enabling AI to run on edge devices and with limited resources while maintaining strong performance.
AI TechnologyRead
What is Zero-Shot Learning?
Zero-shot learning is when an AI solves a new task without needing examples. It just understands what to do based on your instructions.
AI ConceptsRead
What is a Virtual Machine?
Virtual Machines (VMs) are software that emulate complete computers, allowing you to run multiple operating systems on a single physical machine with strong isolation.
InfrastructureRead
What is Tokenization?
Tokenization is how language models break down human language into pieces they can understand and process — it's the gateway to everything else in NLP.
AI ConceptsRead
Popular
What is the Model Context Protocol (MCP)?
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI models interact with tools, data, and prompts securely and predictably — making agentic AI simpler to build.
AI InfrastructureRead
What is Sparse Activation?
Sparse activation is a neural network technique where only a subset of neurons are active for each input, enabling efficient scaling of large models like Mixture of Experts.
AI ConceptsRead
What is Kubernetes?
Kubernetes is a container orchestration platform that manages the deployment, scaling, and operation of containerized applications across clusters of machines.
DevOpsRead
What is a Transformer Model?
Transformers are the neural network architecture behind large language models like GPT and BERT, enabling massive parallelism and context-aware learning.
AI ConceptsRead
What is Knowledge Distillation?
Knowledge distillation is a technique for creating smaller, more efficient AI models by transferring knowledge from larger models, enabling practical deployment while maintaining good performance.
AI ConceptsRead
Popular
What are AI Agents?
AI agents are smart programs that can plan, decide, and act on their own to reach a goal — kind of like how AI code assistants write and refactor code for you without you micromanaging every step.
AI TechnologyRead
What is Git?
Git is a distributed version control system that tracks changes in code, enabling collaboration and maintaining project history.
Software DevelopmentRead
What is an API?
An API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of rules that allows different software applications to communicate and share data.
Web TechnologyRead
What is Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)?
Object-Oriented Programming organizes code around objects that contain both data and methods, promoting code reuse and maintainability.
Programming ConceptsRead
What is a Hash Table?
Hash tables are data structures that provide fast key-value lookups using hash functions to map keys to array indices.
Computer ScienceRead
What is Recursion?
Recursion is a programming technique where a function calls itself to solve problems by breaking them into smaller subproblems.
Computer ScienceRead
What is Asynchronous Programming?
Asynchronous programming allows code to perform non-blocking operations, keeping applications responsive while waiting for I/O or network requests.
Programming ConceptsRead
What is a Database?
A database is an organized system for storing, managing, and retrieving data efficiently, used by virtually every application.
DatabasesRead
What is HTTP?
HTTP is the protocol that enables communication between web browsers and servers, powering the entire World Wide Web.
Web TechnologyRead
What is Software Testing?
Software testing is the process of verifying that code works correctly, catching bugs early and ensuring quality.
Software DevelopmentRead
What is Big O Notation?
Big O notation describes how algorithm performance scales with input size, helping programmers write efficient code.
Computer ScienceRead
What is a Linked List?
A linked list is a data structure where elements are connected via pointers, allowing dynamic size and efficient insertion/deletion.
Computer ScienceRead
What is a Binary Tree?
A binary tree is a tree data structure where each node has at most two children, enabling efficient searching and hierarchical organization.
Computer ScienceRead
What is Functional Programming?
Functional programming emphasizes pure functions and immutability, making code more predictable and easier to test.
Programming ConceptsRead
What is Load Balancing?
Load balancing distributes traffic across multiple servers to improve performance, reliability, and scalability.
InfrastructureRead
What is Caching?
Caching stores frequently accessed data in fast storage to improve performance and reduce computational load.
Computer ScienceRead
What is a Microservice?
Microservices architecture breaks applications into small, independent services that communicate via APIs, enabling better scalability and team autonomy.
Software DevelopmentRead
What is SQL?
SQL is the standard language for querying and managing data in relational databases, essential for most applications.
DatabasesRead
What is DNS?
DNS translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses, making the internet accessible and navigable.
Web TechnologyRead
What is a Stack?
A stack is a LIFO data structure where the last item added is the first item removed, fundamental to programming.
Computer ScienceRead
What is a Queue?
A queue is a FIFO data structure where the first item added is the first item removed, like a line at a store.
Computer ScienceRead
What is Python?
Python is a versatile, easy-to-learn programming language popular for web development, data science, AI, and automation.
Programming LanguagesRead
What is Dynamic Programming?
Dynamic programming solves problems by breaking them into overlapping subproblems and storing solutions to avoid recomputation.
Computer ScienceRead
What is JavaScript?
JavaScript is the programming language that powers interactive websites and can run on both frontend and backend.
Programming LanguagesRead
What is Sorting?
Sorting arranges data in order, making it easier to search, analyze, and display information efficiently.
Computer ScienceRead
What is Binary Search?
Binary search is an efficient O(log n) algorithm for finding items in sorted arrays by repeatedly dividing the search space in half.
Computer ScienceRead
What is Refactoring?
Refactoring improves code structure without changing behavior, making code more maintainable and easier to understand.
Software DevelopmentRead
What is Code Review?
Code review is the practice of having other developers examine code before merging, improving quality and sharing knowledge.
Software DevelopmentRead
What is REST?
REST is an architectural style for designing web APIs using HTTP methods and resource-based URLs.
Web TechnologyRead
What is GraphQL?
GraphQL is a query language for APIs that lets clients request exactly the data they need in a single request.
Web TechnologyRead
What is ACID?
ACID properties (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) ensure reliable database transactions.
DatabasesRead
What is Scalability?
Scalability is a system's ability to handle growth in users, data, and traffic while maintaining performance.
InfrastructureRead
What is a Design Pattern?
Design patterns are reusable solutions to common software design problems, providing proven approaches to recurring challenges.
Software DevelopmentRead
What is SQL Injection?
SQL injection is a security vulnerability where attackers inject malicious SQL code, preventable with parameterized queries.
SecurityRead
What is TCP?
TCP is a reliable, connection-oriented protocol that ensures data is delivered correctly and in order over networks.
Web TechnologyRead
What is WebSocket?
WebSocket enables persistent, bidirectional, real-time communication between clients and servers over a single connection.
Web TechnologyRead
What is a Database Index?
Database indexes are data structures that speed up queries by creating fast lookup paths to data, similar to a book's index.
DatabasesRead
What is ELI5?
ELI5 stands for "Explain Like I'm 5" – a way of breaking down complex topics into simple, easy-to-understand explanations.
Our ELI5 guides explain tech using:
- Simple language without unnecessary jargon
- Real-world analogies that make sense
- Visual explanations when possible
- A focus on the concepts you actually need to understand
Who is this for?
Perfect for junior developers, career-switchers, or anyone trying to make sense of the fast-moving tech world.
Want to suggest a topic?
Have a tech concept you'd like explained in plain English? Join our Discord and let us know!