This is how we use our terms, but we’re always open to hearing your suggestions.
abort
Do not use because it has unpleasant associations and is unnecessarily harsh sounding. Use stop, end, or cancel instead.
above
Use only for physical space or screen descriptions, for example, "the outlet above the floor" or "the button above the bar pane."
For orientation within a document use previous, preceding, or earlier.
ad hoc
Avoid. Use one-time instead.
affect
Affect as a noun refers to emotion as expressed in face or body language. Affect as a verb means to influence. Do not confuse with effect.
AI/ML
On first mention, use artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML).
Alerting
A plugin that notifies you when data from one or more OpenSearch indexes meets certain conditions.
allow
Use allow when the user must have security permissions in order to complete the task.
Avoid using allow to refer to making something possible for the user. Instead, rewrite to focus on what’s important from the user’s point of view.
allow list
Use to describe a list of items that are allowed (not blocked). Do not use as a verb. Do not use whitelist.
Amazon OpenSearch Service
Amazon OpenSearch Service is a managed service that makes it easy to deploy, operate, and scale OpenSearch clusters in the AWS Cloud. Amazon OpenSearch Service is the successor to Amazon Elasticsearch Service (Amazon ES) and supports OpenSearch and legacy Elasticsearch OSS (up to 7.10, the final open-source version of the software).
Anomaly Detection
A plugin that automatically detects anomalies in your OpenSearch data in near real time.
API operation
Use instead of action, method, or function.
OpenSearch style:
- Use the CopySnapshot operation to...
- The following API operations…
Not OpenSearch style
- Use the CopySnapshot action to...
- Use the CopySnapshot method to...
- Use the CopySnapshot function to...
app or application
Use app for mobile software, application for all other uses.
appear, display, and open
Messages and pop-up boxes appear. Windows, pages, and applications open. The verb display requires a definite object. For example: The system displays the error message.
application server
Do not abbreviate as app server.
as well as
Avoid. Replace with in addition to or and as appropriate.
Asynchronous Search
A plugin that lets the user send search requests in the background so that the results can be used later.
auto scaling
Lower case scaling, auto scaling, and automatic scaling (but not autoscaling) are the preferred descriptive terms when generically describing auto scaling functionality.
Do not use hyphenated auto-scaling as a compound modifier. Instead, use scaling (for example, scaling policy), or scalable (for example, scalable target or scalable, load-balanced environment).
below
Use only for physical space or screen descriptions, such as “the outlet below the vent,” or “the button below the bar pane.”
For orientation within a document, use following or later.
big data
black day
Do not use. Use blocked day instead.
blacklist
Do not use. Use deny list instead.
blackout
Avoid using. Use service outage or blocked instead.
BM25
A ranking function used to estimate the relevance of documents to a given search query. BM25 extends TF–IDF by normalizing document length.
Boolean
Avoid using the name of a Boolean value at the beginning of a sentence or sentence fragment. In general, capitalize the word Boolean. For specific programming languages, follow the usage in that language.
OpenSearch style:
- You can use the Boolean functions with Boolean expressions or integer expressions.
- IsTruncated(): A Boolean value that specifies whether the resolved target list is truncated.
bottom
Use only as a general screen reference, such as “scroll to the bottom of the page.” Don’t use for window, page, or pane references to features or controls. Rather, use lower instead. For example, you can use the following wording: “Choose the button on the lower left.”
browse
Use when referring to scanning information or browsing the web. Don’t use when describing how to navigate to a particular item on our site or a computer. Instead, use see or navigate to.
build (n., v.)
Use as a verb to refer to compiling and linking code. Use as a noun only to refer to a compiled version of a program (for example, Use the current build of Amazon Linux 2...) in a programming reference.
CA
certificate authority
certs, certificates
Use certificates on first mention. It’s OK to use certs thereafter.
CI/CD
Use continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) or continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) on first mention.
cluster
A collection of one or more nodes.
cluster manager
A single node that routes requests for the cluster and makes changes to other nodes. Each cluster contains a single cluster manager.
console
A tool inside OpenSearch Dashboards used to interact with the OpenSearch REST API.
Cross-Cluster Replication
A plugin that replicates indexes, mappings, and metadata from one OpenSearch cluster to another. Follows an active-passive model where the follower index pulls data from a leader index.
cyber
Except when dictated by open standards, use as a prefix in a closed compound: don’t use spaces or hyphens between cyber and the rest of the word.
data
Use data is, not data are. Don’t use datas. Use pieces of data or equivalent to describe individual items within a set of data.
data center
dataset
data store, datastore
Two words when used generically, but one word when referring to the VMware product.
data type
dates
Use one of the following date formats:
- When a human-readable date format is preferred, spell out the date using the Month D, YYYY format (for example, October 1, 2022). Do not use an ordinal number for the day (use 1, not 1st). If the context is clear, you can omit the year on subsequent mention. If the specific day isn’t known, use the Month YYYY format (for example, October 2022).
- When a numeric, lexicographically sortable date is required, use the YYYY-MM-DD format (for example, 2022-10-01). Make sure to add a zero (0) in front of a single-digit month and day. This is the ISO 8601 standard date format. Make sure also that you use a hyphen (-) and avoid omitting the year. Doing so avoids the ambiguity that’s caused by the common, locally used formats of MM/DD and DD/MM.
demilitarized zone (DMZ)
Avoid using. Use perimeter network or perimeter zone instead.
deny list
Use to describe a list of items that aren’t allowed (blocked). Do not use blacklist.
disable
Use turn off, deactivate, or stop instead of disable to support bias-free documentation, when possible. Otherwise, use disable to describe making a feature or command unavailable. If the UI uses active and inactive to describe these states, use activate and deactivate in the documentation. Don't use disable to refer to users.
double-click
Always hyphenated. Don’t use double click.
dropdown list
due to
Don’t use. Use because of instead.
effect
Effect as a noun refers to something that’s caused by something else. Effect as a verb means to bring about. Do not confuse with affect.
e.g.
Avoid. Use for example or such as instead.
Elastic IP address
Use as a singular noun or adjective to refer to the collective concept, and use message or mail for individual items. Use send email as the verb form. Don’t use the plural form because it’s a collective noun.
enable
Use turn on or activate instead of enable to support bias-free documentation, when possible. Otherwise, use enable to describe making a feature or command available. If the UI uses active and inactive to describe these states, use activate and deactivate in the documentation.
Avoid using enable to refer to making something possible for the user. Instead, rewrite to focus on what's important from the user's point of view. For example, “With ABC, you can do XYZ” is a stronger statement than “ABC enables you to XYZ.” Additionally, using a task-based statement is usually more clear than the vague “…enables you to….”
enter
In general, use in preference to type when a user adds text or other input (such as numbers or symbols).
etc., et cetera
Do not use.
Generally speaking, etc. and its equivalents (such as and more or and so on) aren’t necessary.
execute
Replace with a more specific verb. In the sense of carrying out an action, use run, process, or apply. In the sense of initiating an operation, use start, launch, or initiate.
Exception: Execution is unavoidable for third-party terms for which no alternative was determined, such as SQL execution plans. Executable is also unavoidable.
fail over (v.), failover (n.)
file name
frontend (n., adj.)
Use frontend as an adjective and a noun. Do not use front end or front-end. Do not make frontend possessive except as part of a compound noun, such as frontend system.
hang
Do not use. This term is unnecessarily violent for technical documentation. Use stop responding instead.
hardcode
hard disk drive (HDD)
high availability (HA)
high performance computing (HPC)
hostname
i.e.
Do not use. Use that is or specifically instead.
if, whether
Do not use if to mean whether. It is best to use whether in reference to a choice or alternatives ("we're going whether it rains or not") and if when establishing a condition ("we will go if it doesn't rain").
in, on
Use in Windows or in Linux in reference to components of the OS or work in the OS. Use on Windows in reference to Windows applications. Examples:
- Use the Devices and Printers Control Panel in Windows to install a new printer.
- In Windows, run the setup command.
- Select an application that runs on Windows.
Run applications and instances in the cloud, but extend services to the cloud.
Use on the forum. Whatever is on the internet (the various websites, etc.), you are on because you cannot be in it.
index, indexes
A collection of JSON documents. Non-hardcoded references to indices should be changed to indexes.
Index Management (IM)
Index State Management (ISM)
install in, on
install in a folder, directory, or path; install on a disk, drive, or instance.
internet
Do not capitalize.
invalid
Avoid using. Use not valid instead.
IP address
Don’t abbreviate as IP only.
kill
Do not use. Replace with stop, end, clear, remove, or cancel.
Exception: Kill is unavoidable when referring to Linux kill commands.
k-means
A simple and popular unsupervised clustering ML algorithm built on top of Tribuo library that chooses random centroids and calculates iteratively to optimize the position of the centroids until each observation belongs to the cluster with the nearest mean.
k-NN
Short for k-nearest neighbors, the k-NN plugin enables users to search for the k-nearest neighbors to a query point across an index of vectors.
launch, start
You start an application but launch an instance, environment, or cluster.
let
Avoid using let to refer to making something in a service or feature possible for the user. Instead, rewrite to focus on what’s important from the user’s point of view.
leverage
Replace with use.
lifecycle
One word in reference to software.
like (prep.)
OK to use to call out something for comparison.
As a general rule, if you can replace like with similar to, it’s OK to use like. But, if you can replace like with such as, use such as.
locate in, on
Located in (a folder, directory, path), located on a disk drive or instance.
log in (v.), login (adj., n.)
Use with technologies with interfaces that use this verb. Also note that you log in to an instance, not log into. Also use log out and logout.
LogStash
A light-weight, open-source, server-side data processing pipeline that allows you to collect data from a variety of sources, transform it on the fly, and send it to your desired destination.
lower left, lower right
Hyphenate as adjectives. Use instead of bottom left and bottom right, unless the field name uses bottom. For example, "The lower-right corner."
LTS
Long-Term Support
Lucene
Apache Lucene™ is a high-performance, full-featured search engine library written entirely in Java. OpenSearch uses a modified version of Lucene as the basis for search operations within OpenSearch.
machine learning
Write as two words (no hyphen) in all cases, including when used as an adjective before a noun. Abbreviate to ML after first use if appropriate.
Machine Learning (ML) Commons
A new plugin that makes it easy to develop new ML features. It allows engineers to leverage existing open-source ML algorithms and reduce the efforts to build them from scratch.
master
Do not use. Use primary, main, or leader instead.
master account
Do not use. Use management account instead.
may
Avoid. Use can or might instead.
must, shall, should
Must and shall refer to requirements. If the reader doesn’t follow the instruction, something won’t work right.
Should is used with recommendations. If the reader doesn’t follow the instruction, it might be harder or slower, but it’ll work.
navigate to
Not navigate in.
near real time (n.), near real-time (adj.) (NRT)
Use near real time as a noun; use near real-time as an adjective. Don’t add a hyphen between near and real time or real-time.
Spell out near real time on first mention; NRT can be used on subsequent mentions.
node
A server that stores your data and processes search requests with OpenSearch, usually as part of a cluster. Do not use master node and avoid using worker node.
non-production
Hyphenate to make the term easier to scan and read.
onsite
OpenSearch
OpenSearch is a community-driven, open-source search and analytics suite derived from Apache 2.0 licensed Elasticsearch 7.10.2 and Kibana 7.10.2. It consists of a search engine daemon, OpenSearch, and a visualization and user interface, OpenSearch Dashboards.
OpenSearch Dashboards
The default visualization tool for data in OpenSearch. On first appearance, use the full name. “Dashboards” may be used on subsequent appearances.
open source (n.), open-source (adj.)
Use open source as a noun (for example, “The code used throughout this tutorial is open source and can be freely modified”). Use open-source as an adjective (open-source software).
operating system
When referencing operating systems in documentation, follow these guidelines:
- In general, if your docs or procedures apply to both Linux and macOS, you can also include Unix.
- Unix and UNIX aren’t the same. UNIX is a trademarked name that’s owned by The Open Group. In most cases, you should use Unix.
- When referring to the Mac operating system, use macOS. Don’t say Mac, Mac OS, or OS X.
- When referring to Windows, it’s not necessary to prefix with Microsoft.
- If you need to reference multiple Unix-like operating systems, you should separate by commas and use the following order: Linux, macOS, or Unix.
or earlier, or later
OK to use with software versions.
Painless
The default scripting language for OpenSearch, either used inline or stored for repeat use. Similar to Java’s language specification.
per
- Do not use to mean according to (for example, per the agreement).
- OK to use in meaning of to, in, for, or by each (one per account) where space is limited and in set terms and phrases, such as any of the following:
- queries per second (QPS)
- bits per second (bps)
- megabytes per second (MBps)
- Consider writing around per elsewhere. Per can sound stuffy and confusing to some global users.
percent
Spell out in blog posts (for example, 30 percent).
Use % in headlines, quotations, and tables or in technical copy.
Performance Analyzer
An agent and REST API that allows you to query numerous performance metrics for your cluster, including aggregations of those metrics, independent of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
please
Avoid using except in quoted text.
plugin
Tools inside of OpenSearch that can be customized to enhance OpenSearch’s functionality. For a list of core plugins, see the OpenSearch plugin installation page. Capitalize if it appears as part of the product name in the UI.
pop-up
precision
The accuracy of the results returned from a query.
premise, premises
With reference to property and buildings, always form as plural.
Correct: an on-premises solution
Incorrect: an on-premise solution, an on-prem solution
primary shard
A Lucene instance that contains data for some or all of an index.
primitive
Avoid using primitive (especially plural primitives) as a colloquial way of referring to the basic concepts or elements that are associated with a feature or to the simplest elements in a programming language. For greatest clarity and to avoid sounding unpleasant, replace with primitive data type or primitive type.
purge
Use only in reference to specific programming methods. Otherwise, use delete, clear, or remove instead.
query
A call used to request information about your data.
real time (n.) real-time (adj.)
Use with caution; this term can imply a degree of responsiveness or speed that may not be true. When needed, use real time as a noun (for example “The request is sent in real time”). Use real-time as an adjective (“A real-time feed is displayed...”).
recall
The quantity of documents returned from a query.
replica shard
Copy of a primary shard. Helps improve performance when using indexes across multiple nodes.
repo
Use as a synonym for repository, on second and subsequent use.
RPM Package Manager (RPM)
Formerly known as RedHat Package Manager. An open-source package management system for use with Linux distributions.
rule
A set of conditions, internals, and actions that create notifications.
screenshot
segregate
Avoid using. Use separate or isolate instead.
setting
A key-value pair that creates a mapping in one of the many YAML configuration files used throughout OpenSearch. Sometimes alternatively called parameters, the programming language manipulating the key-value pair usually dictates the name of this mapping in a YAML file. For OpenSearch documentation (Java), they are properly a Setting object.
The following examples of settings illustrate key-value pairs with a colon separating the two elements:
Settings.index.number_of_shards: 4
plugins.security.audit.enable_rest: true
set up (v.), setup (n., adj.)
Use set up as a verb (“To set up a new user...”). Use setup as a noun or adjective (“To begin setup...”).
shard
A piece of an index that consumes CPU and memory. Operates as a full Lucene index.
since
Use only to describe time events. Don’t use in place of because.
slave
Do not use. Use replica, secondary, or standby instead.
Snapshot Management (SM)
solid state drive (SSD)
standalone
start, launch
You start an application but launch an instance, environment, or cluster.
startup (n.), start up (v.)
Never hyphenated. Use startup as a noun (for example, “The following startup procedure guides you through...”). Use start up as a verb (“You can start up the instances by...”).
Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD)
term frequency–inverse document frequency (TF–IDF)
A numerical statistic that is intended to reflect how important a word is to a document in a collection or corpus.
time out (verb), timeout (noun, adjective)
Never hyphenate. Use time out as a verb (“The request will time out if the server doesn’t respond”). Use timeout as a noun or adjective (“You can set the timeout interval by entering a number into...”).
time frame
timestamp
time zone
trigger
Avoid using as a verb to refer to an action that precipitates a subsequent action. It is OK to use when referring to a feature name, such as a trigger function or time-triggered architecture. As a verb, use an alternative, such as initiate, invoke, launch, or start.
UltraWarm
A storage tier that you can use to store and analyze your data with Elasticsearch and Kibana that is optimized for performance. To learn more about the service, see the introductory blog post.
upper left, upper right
Hyphenate as adjectives. Use instead of top left and top right, unless the field name uses top. For example, "The upper-right corner."
US
No periods, as specified in the Chicago Manual of Style.
user
In most cases, replace with the more direct form you. Reserve user for cases where you are referring to a third party (not the audience you are writing for).
username
version
v., vs., versus
Do not use. Use compared to or compared with instead.
via
Do not use. Replace with by using, through, or with or a more specific phrase such as by accessing or by choosing.
web
webpage
Never web page.
website
Never web site.
while, although, whereas
Only use while to mean “during an interval of time.” Don’t use it to mean although because it is often ambiguous. Whereas is a better alternative to although in many cases, but it can sound overly formal.
white day
Do not use. Use open day instead.
whitelist
Do not use. Use allow list instead.
wish, want, desire, need
Wish and desire are indirect and nuanced versions of want. Don’t use them. Be direct.
Do not confuse wants with needs. Use the term that’s appropriate to the situation. Need connotes a requirement or obligation, whereas want indicates that you have an intent but still a choice of valid actions.
Yellowdog Updater Modified (YUM)
An open-source tool for command-line and graphical-based package management for RPM (RedHat Package Manager)-based Linux systems.