Glossary

Find definitions of different basic terms in the Medusa documentation.

A

• Admin Setting Page: A React component that is used to create a new setting page in the Medusa admin dashboard.
• Admin UI Route: A React component that is used to create a new page in the Medusa admin dashboard.
• Admin Widget: Custom React components that can be injected into different locations in the Medusa admin dashboard.
• API Route: REST API routes exposed to frontends or external systems.

B

• Batch Job: A task that is performed asynchronously and iteratively.

D

• Dependency Injection: Classes receive other resources, such as services or repositories, in their constructor using dependency injection.

E

• Entity: A class that represents a table in the database.

F

• Feature Flag: A flag that guards beta features in the Medusa backend and ensures they can only be used when enabled.
• File Service: A class that implements an interface to provide storage functionalities.

I

• Idempotency Key: A unique, randomly-generated key associated with a process, such as cart completion.

J

• JavaScript Client: An NPM package that provides methods to interact with the Medusa backend's REST APIs.

L

• Loader: A script that runs when the Medusa backend starts.

M

• Medusa React: An NPM package that provides React hooks and utility methods to interact with the Medusa backend's REST APIs.
• Middleware: A function that can be executed before or after API Route requests are handled.
• Migration: A script that is used to reflect changes to the database schema.
• Module: Reusable pieces of code, typically as NPM packages, that provide specific functionality or feature.

N

• Notification Service: A class that implements an interface to provide notification functionalities.

P

• Plugin: A reusable NPM package that can be reused in Medusa backends and provide custom functionalities.
• Publishable API Key: An API key that is associated with a set of resources and used on the client (storefront) side.

R

• Repository: A class that provides generic methods to retrieve and manipulate entities.

S

• Scheduled Job: A task that is performed at specific times during the Medusa backend's runtime.
• Search Service: A class that implements an interface to provide search functionalities.
• Service: A class that typically includes helper methods associated with an entity.
• Strategy: A class that contains an isolated piece of logic that can be overridden and customized.
• Subscriber: A class that registers handler methods to an event.