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+# Glossary
+
+This page defines some terminology that is commonly used in Electron development.
+
+## ASAR
+
+ASAR stands for Atom Shell Archive Format. An [asar][asar] archive is a simple
+`tar`-like format that concatenates files into a single file. Electron can read
+arbitrary files from it without unpacking the whole file.
+
+The ASAR format was created primarily to improve performance on Windows... TODO
+
+## Brightray
+
+Brightray is a static library that makes [libchromiumcontent] easier to use in
+applications. It was created specifically for Electron, but can be used to
+enable Chromium's renderer in native apps that are not based on Electron.
+
+Brightray is a low-level dependency of Electron that does not concern the
+majority of Electron users.
+
+## IPC
+
+IPC stands for Inter-Process Communication. Electron uses IPC to send
+serialized JSON messages between the [main] and [renderer] processes.
+
+## libchromiumcontent
+
+A single, shared library that includes the Chromium Content module and all its
+dependencies (e.g., Blink, [V8], etc.).
+
+## Main Process
+
+The main process, commonly a file named `main.js`, is the entry point to every
+Electron app. It controls the life of the app, from open to close. It also
+manages native elements such as the Menu, Menu Bar, Dock, Tray, etc.  The
+main process is responsible for creating each new renderer process in the app.
+The full Node API is built in.
+
+Every app's main process file is specified in the `main` property in
+`package.json`. This is how `electron .` knows what file to execute at startup.
+
+## MAS
+
+Acronym for Apple's Mac App Store. For details on submitting your app to the
+MAS, see the [Mac App Store Submission Guide].
+
+## Native Modules
+
+Native Modules (also called [addons] in
+Node.js) are modules written in C or C++ that can be loaded into Node.js or
+Electron using the require() function, and used just as if they were an
+ordinary Node.js module. They are used primarily to provide an interface
+between JavaScript running in Node.js and C/C++ libraries.
+
+Native Node modules are supported by Electron, but since Electron is very
+likely to use a different V8 version from the Node binary installed in your
+system, you have to manually specify the location of Electron’s headers when
+building native modules.
+
+See also [Using Native Node Modules]
+
+## Renderer Process
+
+The renderer process is a browser window in your app. Unlike the main process,
+there can be multiple of these and each is run in a separate process.
+They can also be hidden.
+
+In normal browsers, web pages usually run in a sandboxed environment and are not
+allowed access to native resources. Electron users, however, have the power to
+use Node.js APIs in web pages allowing lower level operating system
+interactions.
+
+## Squirrel
+
+Squirrel is an open-source framework that enables Electron apps to update
+automatically as new versions are released. See the [autoUpdater] API for
+info about getting started with Squirrel.
+
+## userland
+
+This term originated in the Unix community, where "userland" or "userspace"
+referred to programs that run outside of the operating system kernel. More
+recently, the term has been popularized in the Node and npm community to
+distinguish between the features available in "Node core" versus packages
+published to the npm registry by the much larger "user" community.
+
+Just like Node, Electron is focused on having a small set of APIs that provide
+all the necessary primitives for developing multi-platform Desktop applications.
+This design philosophy allows Electron to remain a flexible tool without being
+overly prescriptive about how it should be used. Userland enables users to
+create and share tools that provide additional functionality on top of what is
+available in "core".
+
+## V8
+
+V8 is Google's open source JavaScript engine. It is written in C++ and is
+used in Google Chrome, the open source browser from Google. V8 can run
+standalone, or can be embedded into any C++ application.
+
+[addons]: https://nodejs.org/api/addons.html
+[autoUpdater]: api/auto-updater.md
+[libchromiumcontent]: #libchromiumcontent
+[Mac App Store Submission Guide]: tutorials/mac-app-store-submission-guide.md
+[main]: #main-process
+[renderer]: #renderer-process
+[Using Native Node Modules]: tutorial/using-native-node-modules.md
+[userland]: #userland
+[V8]: #v8