Elektra: elektra-glossary(7) -- glossary of Elektra

Elektra 0.8.24

elektra-glossary(7) -- glossary of Elektra

- Configuration settings: customize applications towards the users needs.
- Configuration storage: makes configuration settings persistent. The application will read the configuration at every start from the configuration storage, but it is only stored if a user changes settings.
- Key databases: are used for configuration storages because of these constraints. They can do fast key lookups and the keys can be structured hierarchically by defining separators in the key names.
- Global key database: provides global access to all configuration storages of all applications in a system. Abbreviated as `KDB`.
- LibElektra: is a set of libraries to access configuration parameters in a global, hierarchical key database.
- SpecElektra: is a specification language that allows us to describe the content of the global key database.
- Elektra: is a framework consisting of LibElektra, SpecElektra, and a collection of tools.
- To elektrify an application: to change the application so that it uses LibElektra afterwards.
- Elektra Initiative: is a community that develops LibElektra, expands SpecElektra, improves Elektra's tooling and helps to elektrify applications.

## Technical Concepts

- Backends: A collection of plugins to be mounted. A backend typically is responsible to read and write a configuration file.
- Bootstrapping: To read the mounting configuration and mount during `kdbOpen()`.
- Cascading: To consider multiple places to look for a key.
- Contracts: Contracts state the purpose, functionality and requirements of plugins.
- Mounting: To persistently and permanently include a backend in the global key database.
- Namespaces: Allow us to have multiple keys for the same purpose and otherwise the same key name.
- Plugins: The unit of implementation for a feature.
- Metadata: Allows us to describe configuration settings.

## Details

- Sync Flag: Marks keys that were changed and need to be written out to disc.
- Null Keys, Null Values: The absence of keys or values.
- pop: used in `ksPop()` and KDB_O_POP means to remove a key from a keyset.
- delete: or abbr. del, used in `keyDel()`, `ksDel()` and 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.