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Glossary

Glossary

The key terms around smart home, Home Assistant, DIY, electronics and tech – explained concisely. In every article, such terms are marked with a ?. Here you’ll find all explanations collected on a single page.

  • .gitignore gitignore

    Text file containing rules for files Git should not track. The files remain on the computer or Home Assistant server but are not included in commits

  • Add-on add-on

    Additional software package for Home Assistant OS/Supervised, installed via the add-on store (renamed to ‘Apps’ in newer HA versions). Runs as its own container alongside core – e.g. the SSH add-on

  • Alexa Local alexa-local

    Method to connect Amazon Alexa devices directly to Home Assistant (without Nabu Casa Cloud) via the local APIs of Echo devices. More complex but no subscription needed

  • API api

    Application Programming Interface – defined interface through which programs communicate. Home Assistant offers a REST and a WebSocket API (e.g. for MCP)

  • API-Key api-key

    Secret key for authenticating against an API. In HA e.g. a long-lived access token for the REST API – store carefully and never commit it to the Git repo

  • Audio Interface audiointerface

    External device for high-quality audio recording and playback on a computer. Converts analog microphone/instrument signals into digital audio data (AD conversion) and vice versa (DA conversion)

  • Automation automation

    Rule-based workflow in Home Assistant: triggers, conditions and actions automatically execute a flow (e.g. turn on lights at sunset)

  • Backup backup

    An independent copy used to restore the whole system or important data. A Home Assistant backup complements Git and does not replace version history

  • Badge badge

    Small informational element in a Home Assistant dashboard view (Lovelace) – e.g. weather, people or device status. Not to be confused with the ‘?’ tooltip in the glossary

  • BLE ble

    Bluetooth Low Energy – energy-efficient Bluetooth variant for sensors. Xiaomi Mijia temperature sensors and hygrometers use BLE, for example

  • Blueprint blueprint

    Reusable automation template in Home Assistant. A blueprint defines structure and options, you only fill in the inputs – shareable via the blueprint exchange

  • Branch branch

    Branch of the Git history: a parallel development line. On a feature branch you can rebuild safely while main stays stable (Part 2 of the series)

  • Building Automation gebaeudeautomation

    Automated control of building functions such as lighting, blinds, heating and climate. Forms the backbone of a smart home. Well-known systems: LCN, KNX, Loxone, Homematic

  • CI/CD ci-cd

    Automated checking and delivery of changes. For Home Assistant, CI/CD is optional and replaces neither testing nor complete backups

  • Claude claude

    AI assistant by Anthropic (Sonnet, Opus, Haiku models). Uses MCP natively – Claude Desktop was one of the first MCP clients and can access your HA server directly

  • CLI cli

    Command Line Interface – operating a program via text commands in a terminal instead of a graphical interface. Git, ssh and many HA tools are controlled via the CLI

  • CNC cnc

    Computerized Numerical Control – computer-controlled milling machine. In the hobby sector often a gantry router (e.g. Genmitsu PROVerXL 4030) for milling wood, plastic and aluminum. Controlled via G-code from CAM software

  • Commit commit

    A saved checkpoint in Git: a snapshot of changes with message, author and timestamp. The building blocks of version history

  • Configuration as Code configuration-as-code

    An approach that manages system configuration as text files that can be checked, documented and versioned

  • Conflict conflict

    Conflicting changes to the same location that Git cannot resolve automatically when merging. The affected file must be reviewed manually

  • Dashboard dashboard

    Graphical overview page in Home Assistant (Lovelace) for controlling and displaying entities. Can be versioned as YAML (Part 3 of the series)

  • DAW daw

    Digital Audio Workstation – software for music production (recording, editing, mixing). Well-known DAWs: Cubase, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Studio One, Reaper

  • DeCONZ deconz

    Software by dresden elektronik for controlling Zigbee devices. Runs on a ConBee/RaspBee stick and provides an API for Home Assistant

  • DeepSeek deepseek

    Chinese AI company and its models (R1, V3). Usable as an inexpensive alternative to GitHub Copilot directly in VS Code via the Vizards extension

  • DevOps devops

    Culture of connecting development and operations: managing, versioning and automating everything as code. In the HA context: configuration as code, Git, CI/CD

  • Diff diff

    Comparison between two file states. A diff shows which lines were added, changed or removed

  • Docker docker

    Container platform for isolating applications. Each container includes all dependencies and runs independently of the host system. Home Assistant add-ons, Frigate, Paperless-ngx and many other self-hosted services use Docker

  • Energy Dashboard energy-dashboard

    Built-in dashboard in Home Assistant for visualizing power consumption, PV yields and costs. Supports import from electricity, gas and water meters

  • Enshittification enshittification

    A term coined by Cory Doctorow describing the gradual decline in quality of digital platforms. It outlines the process where a service, after achieving monopoly power, progressively degrades the user and partner experience to maximize short-term profit—until the platform degenerates so severely that users, business partners, and ultimately investors abandon it. More on the concept in his book „Enshittification“ .

  • Entity entitaet

    The smallest unit of information in Home Assistant – a sensor, switch, light or automation is represented as an entity with state and attributes (e.g. sensor.temperature_bedroom)

  • ESP32 esp32

    Microcontroller by Espressif with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The heart of many DIY smart home projects – programmable via ESPHome, Tasmota or Arduino

  • ESPHome esphome

    Framework for configuring ESP32/ESP8266 microcontrollers that automatically integrate into Home Assistant. Ideal for DIY sensors and actuators

  • EV Charger (Wallbox) wallbox

    Charging station for electric cars with Type 2 connector. Charges at 3.7–22 kW (230V/400V). Smart wallboxes (go-eCharger, Sungrow) support PV surplus charging and can be integrated into Home Assistant

  • Frigate frigate

    AI-based surveillance camera software with object detection (people, animals, vehicles). Runs completely locally and can be used as a Home Assistant integration

  • G-Code gcode

    Machine control language for CNC routers and 3D printers. Consists of simple commands like G01 (linear move) or M03 (spindle on). Generated by CAM software from CAD models

  • Git git

    Distributed version control system. Records every change to text files as a commit – with history, branches and the ability to restore any state

  • GitHub github

    Web platform for Git repositories. A private repository can act as a remote for your configuration history. GitHub is not a complete Home Assistant backup

  • GitHub Copilot github-copilot

    AI assistant by GitHub and Microsoft for coding, research, error analysis and documentation. In VS Code, Copilot can take project context and local project rules into account

  • Group Helper group-helper

    Helper entities in Home Assistant that combine multiple entities. Enables e.g. controlling all lights in a room as one group – also useful for automations

  • GUI gui

    Graphical User Interface – visual interface with windows, buttons and mouse interaction. The HA web interface, VS Code and most apps are GUIs

  • HA Core ha-core

    The actual Home Assistant program (Python application) – without OS and supervisor. Can also be run standalone in a Python venv or in Docker

  • HACS hacs

    Home Assistant Community Store – unofficial marketplace for integrations, add-ons and custom dashboards from the community

  • Helper helper

    Virtual entities in Home Assistant for data processing and control (e.g. toggles, sliders, schedules). Created via Settings → Devices & Services → Helpers

  • Home Assistant OS haos

    Complete operating system for Home Assistant including Supervisor, add-ons and optimized operation on Raspberry Pi, ODROID or x86 hardware

  • Homebrew brew

    Package manager for macOS (and Linux). Installs software via command line – e.g. brew install hugo. The unofficial app store for developers

  • Hugo hugo

    Static site generator written in Go. Generates a static website from Markdown files and templates – extremely fast (build in milliseconds). fricklr.com runs on Hugo with the Blowfish theme

  • IEM iem

    In-Ear Monitors – high-quality earphones for monitoring (e.g. on stage or in the studio). Unlike consumer in-ears, IEMs offer more precise sound, better isolation and often detachable cables

  • Integration integration

    In Home Assistant: connecting a device or service via ‘Devices & Services’. Each integration provides entities (e.g. Shelly, Zigbee, MCP). Not to be confused with the general IT term

  • Inverter wechselrichter

    Converts direct current (DC) from PV modules into grid-compliant alternating current (AC). Hybrid inverters (e.g. Sungrow SH10RT) can also charge battery storage and provide backup power

  • IoT iot

    Internet of Things – umbrella term for networked devices that communicate over the internet (sensors, actuators, household appliances). Smart home is a subset of IoT – with a focus on local control instead of cloud dependency

  • KNX knx

    Wired bus system for building automation (since 1990). Professional standard using twisted pair cabling. Home Assistant has had an official KNX integration since 2023

  • Labels labels

    Home Assistant feature (since 2024.4) for flexible entity organization. Unlike fixed areas, labels can be freely combined – e.g. ‘Bedroom’ + ‘Motion sensor’ for targeted automations

  • LCN lcn

    LCN (Local Control Network) – German bus system for building automation by Issendorff. Uses existing 230V wiring as bus line. Can be integrated into Home Assistant via LCN-VISU or custom integration

  • Least Privilege least-privilege

    Security principle stating that a user or service receives only the permissions required for its task

  • LLM llm

    Large Language Model – AI model trained on vast amounts of text that can understand and generate natural language. Examples: GPT-4, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek. Foundation for chatbots like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot

  • Local Control cloudfree

    Smart home devices that work without a manufacturer cloud – control happens directly on the local network. More privacy-friendly, reliable and often faster

  • Local Model lokales-modell

    AI model running on the user’s own hardware rather than on a cloud server. Inputs and runtime data can therefore remain local, but sufficient memory and computing power are required

  • Lovelace lovelace

    Home Assistant’s dashboard system. Dashboards are created in Lovelace as YAML configuration or via the UI editor – and are therefore versionable too

  • Markdown markdown

    Simplified markup language for text, using simple characters like #, *, []. Used by Hugo, Obsidian, GitHub, Notion and many other tools. All content on fricklr is written in Markdown

  • Matter matter

    New smart home standard by Apple, Google, Amazon and the Connectivity Standards Alliance. Promises cross-manufacturer compatibility without cloud dependency

  • MCP mcp

    Model Context Protocol – open industry standard for connecting AI clients to external systems. Home Assistant has provided an MCP server in core since 2025.2 (/api/mcp)

  • Merge merge

    Git command to merge a branch into another – adopts its commits into the target history (possibly with a merge commit)

  • MIDI midi

    Musical Instrument Digital Interface – standard protocol for transmitting musical data (notes, velocity, control commands) between digital instruments, controllers and DAWs. Not audio, but control data

  • MQTT mqtt

    Lightweight publish/subscribe messaging protocol. Used in smart homes to exchange sensor data and control commands between devices

  • Nabu Casa nabu-casa

    Company behind Home Assistant. Offers Home Assistant Cloud (remote access + Alexa/Google integration) as a paid service – funds HA development

  • Node-RED node-red

    Visual programming environment for flows. Often used as a Home Assistant add-on to create complex automations graphically via drag & drop

    Read more →

  • Obsidian obsidian

    Note-taking app with local Markdown storage and bidirectional links. Popular for personal knowledge management. Open source, with a large plugin community. Stores data as local Markdown files – no cloud dependency

  • Ollama ollama

    Software for running and managing large language models locally. Ollama exposes models through a local interface, so runtime data does not have to leave the user’s computer

  • OTA ota

    Over-The-Air – firmware update without cable, directly via Wi-Fi/network. Many ESP-based devices (ESPHome, Tasmota, WLED) can be conveniently updated this way

  • Paperless-ngx paperless-ngx

    Open source document management with OCR text recognition. Automatically scans, classifies and searches PDFs. Runs as a Docker container – ideal for a paperless office

  • PKM pkm

    Personal Knowledge Management – method and toolset for organizing personal knowledge. Popular PKM tools: Obsidian, Notion, Logseq. Goals: better understanding, connecting and retrieving information

  • Playbook playbook

    Higher-level action plan for a technical scenario with possible decisions and branches. A playbook can contain several concrete runbooks

  • Prompt prompt

    The input or instruction you give to an AI. A good prompt (clear, specific, with context) largely determines the quality of the result

  • Proxmox VE proxmox

    Open source virtualization platform based on Debian. Enables running Home Assistant as a VM or container on a server

  • Pull pull

    Git command that downloads and integrates new commits from a remote repository into the current local branch

  • Push push

    Git command to upload local commits to a remote repository, for example on GitHub

  • PyScript pyscript

    Enables writing Home Assistant automations in Python instead of YAML. Provides more flexibility for complex logic with loops and conditions

    Read more →

  • Rebase rebase

    Git procedure that relocates a branch’s commits onto the current state of another – produces a linear, tidy history

  • Remote remote

    A linked remote Git repository, for example a private repository on GitHub. It contains a copy of the Git history, not automatically the complete Home Assistant system

  • Repository repository

    Storage and versioning location of a Git project – all files plus complete history. Local (/config/.git) and as a remote on GitHub

  • Rollback rollback

    Deliberate restoration of an earlier working state, for example a single YAML file after a faulty change

  • Runbook runbook

    Concrete step-by-step guide for a recurring technical task, such as a Home Assistant update or restoring from a backup

  • Secrets secrets

    Confidential values such as passwords, API keys and access tokens. Secrets should not be put into public chats or a Git repository, but into protected configuration such as secrets.yaml

  • Self-Hosting self-hosting

    Running your own server services on your own hardware instead of using cloud services. Motivations: data sovereignty, independence, cost control. Typical self-hosted applications: Home Assistant, Nextcloud, Paperless-ngx, Joplin, Readeck

  • Shell shell

    Command-line interpreter that accepts and executes commands. In HA: the bash shell in the SSH add-on; on a Mac e.g. zsh

  • Shelly shelly

    Bulgarian manufacturer of Wi-Fi-based smart home relays, sensors and actuators. Popular due to local control without cloud dependency

  • SkyConnect skyconnect

    USB dongle by Nabu Casa for Home Assistant. Supports both Zigbee and Thread simultaneously – the official successor to ConBee for HA users

  • SSH ssh

    Secure Shell – encrypted network protocol for remote server access. In HA: the lightweight SSH add-on for working on /config from your own machine

  • Supervisor supervisor

    Management layer of Home Assistant OS/Supervised. The supervisor installs and monitors core, add-ons and backups – the system’s control center

  • Tasmota tasmota

    Open source firmware for ESP8266/ESP32-based smart home devices (sockets, lights, relays). Replaces manufacturer firmware for local control without cloud

  • Template Sensor template-sensor

    Virtual sensor in Home Assistant whose value is calculated from other sensors. Useful for unit conversion or combining values – e.g. kWh from watts × time

  • Terminal terminal

    Program that displays a shell (e.g. macOS Terminal, VS Code integrated terminal, Git Bash). This is where you type CLI commands

  • Thread thread

    Thread (Matter) – wireless protocol for smart home devices, based on IPv6. Together with Matter it forms the communication foundation. Not to be confused with a discussion thread in forums or social media

  • Token token

    Cost/counting unit for AI API usage – one token roughly equals 3–4 characters. AI services like DeepSeek bill per token; that’s why many small requests are often very cheap

  • Trigger trigger

    Trigger of a Home Assistant automation – the event that starts the flow (e.g. sunset, sensor value, time). First building block of every automation

  • TUI tui

    Terminal User Interface – text-based interactive interface inside the terminal (e.g. htop, mc). No graphical window, but keyboard-operated

  • UI ui

    User Interface – the visible surface of software (windows, menus, buttons). In HA: the dashboard (Lovelace), settings and the add-on store

  • Unraid unraid

    NAS operating system with flexible storage management (no RAID requirement). Popular for home servers with Home Assistant as a Docker container

  • UX ux

    User Experience – how understandable, efficient and pleasant a product is to use. Good UX makes smart home interfaces intuitive

  • VS Code vscode

    Free editor by Microsoft. With the Remote-SSH extension you edit the HA config on your client without loading the HA server

  • VST vst

    Virtual Studio Technology – plugin standard by Steinberg for virtual instruments and effects. VST3 is the current standard. Enables synthesizers, compressors, EQs as software within a DAW

  • VSTi vsti

    Virtual Studio Technology Instrument – VST plugin that serves as a virtual instrument (synthesizer, sampler, drum machine). Unlike VST effects, a VSTi generates sound itself

  • WAF waf

    Woman Acceptance Factor – tongue-in-cheek, semi-serious metric for a technical project’s or device’s acceptance by the female partner. A high WAF means: inconspicuous, quiet, visually appealing and easy to use. A low WAF: cable chaos, humming fans, incomprehensible apps or bulky enclosures in the living room. Originally from the 1980s Hi-Fi scene (Stereophile magazine), today an important design factor for smart home and DIY projects

  • WLED wled

    Open source firmware for ESP8266/ESP32 to control addressable LED strips (WS2812B etc.). Can be integrated into Home Assistant via API

  • YAML yaml

    Data format (YAML Ain’t Markup Language). Used in Home Assistant for configurations, automations and scenes. Easy to read but error-prone with incorrect indentation

  • YAML Schema yaml-schema

    A set of rules describing the allowed structure of a YAML file. A YAML schema can provide matching keys in the editor and flag invalid values or structures

  • ZHA zha

    Zigbee Home Automation – built-in Home Assistant integration for controlling Zigbee devices without an additional coordinator (except a compatible stick like ConBee or Sonoff)

  • Zigbee zigbee

    Wireless communication standard for smart home devices. Energy-efficient, decentralized (mesh network) and cross-manufacturer. Alternative to Wi-Fi, Matter and Bluetooth

  • Zigbee2MQTT z2m

    Open source bridge that connects Zigbee devices to Home Assistant via MQTT. Supports more devices than ZHA, but requires a separate MQTT broker