ELEKTRA-GLOSSARY(7)

NAME
elektra-glossary - glossary of Elektra

Introduction

Configurations
    contain user preferences or other application settings.

Configuration storage
    makes this information permanent. The application will read the configuration at every start, but it is only stored if a user changes settings.

Key databases
    are used because of these constraints. They can do fast key lookups and the keys can be structured hierarchically by defining separators in the key names. Unlike SQL databases, the key name is the only primary key; there are no foreign keys, and no query language exists.

Global key database
    provides global access to all key databases of all applications in a system that wants to access a key database.

To elektrify an application
    to change the application so that it uses Elektra afterwards.

Technical Concepts

Backends elektra-backends.md
    A collection of plugins to be mounted.

Bootstrapping elektra-bootstrapping.md
    To read the mounting configuration and mount during kdbOpen().

Cascading elektra-cascading.md
    To consider multiple places to look for a key.

Contracts elektra-contracts.md
    Contracts state the purpose, functionality and requirements of plugins.

Mounting elektra-mounting.md
    To persistently and permanently include a backend in the global key database.

Namespaces elektra-namespaces.md
    Allow us to have multiple keys for the same purpose and otherwise the same key name.

Plugins elektra-plugins-framework.md
    The unit of implementation for a feature.

Details

Sync Flag elektra-sync-flag.md
    Marks keys that were changed and need to be written out to disc.

Null Keys, Null Values elektra-values.md
    The absence of keys or values.

pop used in ksPop() and @ref KDB_O_POP means to remove a key from a keyset.

delete
    or abbr. del, used in keyDel(), ksDel() and @ref KDB_O_DEL means to free a key or keyset. The memory can be used for something else afterwards.

remove
    means that the key/value information in the physical database will be removed permanently.