Glossary

Reference of terms used across Lyna and these docs. Organized by category.

General concepts

AI (Artificial Intelligence) Technology that enables machines to perform tasks like understanding language, generating code, and making decisions. In Lyna, AI powers the chat assistant that plans, builds, and explains your code.

API (Application Programming Interface) A set of rules that lets different software communicate. Lyna uses APIs to connect with Supabase, Stripe, and GitHub.

CLI (Command-Line Interface) A text-based interface for running commands. Some Lyna features and integrations can be managed through CLI tools.

Deployment Making your app available on the internet. In Lyna, you deploy through the publish wizard.

Frontend The part of a web app users see and interact with: the visual interface, buttons, forms, navigation. Lyna generates frontend code with React and Tailwind CSS.

Backend The server side: data storage, authentication, business logic, external service communication. In Lyna, backend functionality comes from Supabase integration.

Fullstack An app with both frontend and backend. Lyna supports fullstack development through Supabase, Stripe, and other integrations.

Git A version control system that tracks file changes over time. Every Lyna project is a Git repository.

LLM (Large Language Model) An AI model trained on large text datasets that can understand and generate language. Lyna's AI assistant is powered by LLMs like Claude.

Markdown A lightweight text formatting syntax. Lyna uses MDX (Markdown with JSX) in some contexts.

Prompt A text instruction or question you type into the AI chat. Prompt quality directly affects output quality. See Prompting Best Practices.

Token A unit of text that AI models process. Roughly corresponds to word fragments: a typical English word is 1 to 2 tokens. Token usage determines credit costs.

Lyna-specific terms

Ask mode AI chat mode that answers questions about your codebase and explains how things work. Read-only: does not change your code. See Ask Mode.

Block inserter Library of pre-built page sections (hero banners, pricing tables, feature grids, etc.) you can drag and drop onto the canvas. Fully customizable after insertion. See Block Inserter.

BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) Connect your own API keys for 67+ AI providers, giving you direct model access beyond the built-in Lyna, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, and OpenAI Codex providers. Configured under AI Providers in project settings. See AI Providers.

Breakpoint A defined screen width where your layout adapts for different devices (mobile, tablet, desktop). See Responsive Design.

Build mode The default AI chat mode. Generates and modifies code directly in your project: creates components, adds features, fixes bugs, refactors. See Build Mode.

Canvas The central visual workspace. Displays a live preview of your app where you can select, move, resize, and style elements. See Canvas.

Command palette A searchable, keyboard-driven interface for accessing actions and navigation within the editor. Open it with a shortcut to jump to files, run actions, or switch modes.

Copilot AI-assisted coding on paid plans. Provides inline suggestions and autocompletions in the code editor as you type.

Credit The currency for AI interactions on paid plans. Each message costs credits based on token usage. See Plans & Credits.

Custom domain Your own domain (e.g., myapp.com) connected to a published project. Available on Pro and above. See Custom Domains.

Dashboard Home screen after signing in. Shows all your projects and provides access to settings, billing, and the Explore gallery.

DevTools Editor panel with 8 tabs for inspecting and debugging your app. Browser-like dev tools within the Lyna workspace.

Editor bar Contextual toolbar that appears when you select elements on the canvas. Quick access to alignment, spacing, and component-specific settings.

Explore gallery Public showcase of community-built projects. Browse, preview, and clone any public project. See Explore Gallery.

Focus mode Distraction-free editing. Hides peripheral UI so you can concentrate on the canvas or code editor.

Frame An individual viewport on the canvas. In responsive mode, you can have multiple frames showing your app at different breakpoints simultaneously.

Knowledge Project-level config that gives the AI persistent context. Includes rules (guidelines to follow) and skills (reusable prompt templates). See Knowledge.

Layers panel Tree view of your component hierarchy on the left side of the editor. Shows nesting structure of all elements on the current page, similar to Figma's layers panel. See Layers.

Lyna Cloud Two things: (1) the backend services section in project settings (Database, Auth, Storage, Secrets, Edge Functions, Payments) powered by Supabase, and (2) the hosting infrastructure where published projects are deployed.

Millicredit Internal unit. 1 credit = 1,000 millicredits. Allows precise cost calculation based on actual token usage.

Plan mode AI chat mode for planning and architecture. Discusses your idea and creates implementation plans without writing code. See Plan Mode.

Project A single web application in Lyna. Self-contained workspace with its own codebase, Git history, settings, and integrations. Can be public or private.

Publish wizard Step-by-step deployment flow: security scanning, build optimization, and deployment to Lyna Cloud. See Publishing.

Rules Part of Knowledge. Persistent guidelines the AI follows in every conversation: coding conventions, brand guidelines, architectural decisions. See Knowledge.

Sandbox Secure, isolated cloud environment where your project runs during development. Provides a full dev server, compiles code, and streams output to your browser.

Skills Part of Knowledge. Reusable prompt templates for common tasks. Save a complex prompt once, invoke by name. See Knowledge.

Slash commands Shortcuts typed in the AI chat starting with /. For example, /fix to fix an error, /explain to explain selected code. See Slash Commands.

Style panel Properties panel that appears when you select a canvas element. Adjust layout, spacing, typography, colors, borders, effects, and other CSS properties visually. See Styles.

Template A pre-built project starting point. Covers common use cases (SaaS, landing page, portfolio, dashboard) and is customizable after creation. See Templates.

Terminal Built-in terminal emulator with command-line access to your project's sandbox. Run scripts, install packages, execute commands without leaving Lyna.

Workspace Shared container for projects and team members. Available on Team and Enterprise plans with collaboration tools, shared settings, and unified billing. See Workspace.

Product and development concepts

App Router Next.js 16 routing system using a file-system approach with the app/ directory. Supports React Server Components, layouts, loading states, and error boundaries.

Authentication (Auth) Verifying a user's identity through email/password, social login (Google, GitHub), or magic links. Lyna supports auth through Supabase. See Supabase Auth.

CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) Automated build, test, and deploy processes triggered by code changes. Lyna's GitHub integration enables CI/CD workflows.

Component A reusable, self-contained piece of UI. In React, components are functions that return visual elements. A button, a card, a nav bar, a complete page are all components.

Environment variables Configuration values stored outside code (API keys, database URLs, feature flags). Managed in project settings.

Hot Module Replacement (HMR) Updates your app in the browser without a full reload when you change code. Lyna's sandbox uses HMR for instant feedback.

Monorepo A repository containing multiple related projects or packages. Lyna's own codebase is a monorepo.

Responsive design Building layouts that adapt to different screen sizes. Lyna provides breakpoint tools and a multi-frame canvas. See Responsive Design.

Server Component A React component that renders on the server. Can access databases and APIs directly, reduces client JavaScript, improves performance. Lyna uses React 19 Server Components by default.

Server Action A Next.js function that runs on the server, callable from client components. Used for form submissions, data mutations, and server-side operations.

SSR (Server-Side Rendering) Rendering a page on the server and sending complete HTML to the browser. Improves performance and SEO.

UI/UX and frontend terms

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) The language for styling HTML: colors, layout, typography, spacing, animations. Lyna uses Tailwind CSS.

Design token A named value for a design decision (color, font size, spacing) reused across an application. Lyna uses semantic tokens like bg-background, text-foreground, border-border.

Flexbox CSS layout model for one-dimensional rows or columns with flexible sizing. Widely used in Lyna components.

Grid CSS layout model for two-dimensional rows and columns. Used for page layouts, card grids, and complex arrangements.

JSX Syntax extension that lets you write HTML-like markup in JavaScript/TypeScript. React components use JSX for their UI.

Monaco Editor The editor engine behind VS Code and Lyna's code editor. Syntax highlighting, IntelliSense, multi-cursor editing, and more.

MobX State management library used in Lyna for reactive data. Automatically tracks and updates components when data changes.

Radix UI Library of unstyled, accessible UI primitives. The shadcn/ui components in Lyna are built on Radix UI.

React JavaScript library for building UIs with components. Lyna uses React 19 with Server Components, Actions, and other modern features.

shadcn/ui Accessible component collection built on Radix UI. Included in every Lyna project. See Components Library.

Tailwind CSS Utility-first CSS framework with pre-built classes (e.g., p-4 for padding, text-blue-500 for color). Lyna uses Tailwind CSS 4.

Theme A set of design tokens (colors, fonts, spacing, border radius) defining your app's visual appearance. Lyna supports light and dark themes with customization. See Brand and Theming.

TSX TypeScript JSX. .tsx files contain TypeScript with JSX markup. The standard format for React components in Lyna.

TypeScript A typed superset of JavaScript with static type checking. Lyna generates TypeScript in strict mode.

Utility class A single-purpose CSS class applying one style (e.g., mt-4 for top margin, rounded-lg for border radius). Tailwind CSS is built on utility classes.

Backend and database terms

Edge function A server-side function running at the network edge (close to the user) for low latency. Supabase supports edge functions. See Edge Functions.

Foreign key A database column linking two tables. For example, user_id in an orders table references the users table.

Migration A versioned database schema change (adding tables, columns, indexes). Lets you evolve your database structure in a trackable way.

Model Context Protocol (MCP) An open protocol connecting AI assistants to external tools and data sources. In Lyna, MCP servers extend what the AI can do. See MCP Servers.

OAuth Authorization protocol letting users sign in with existing accounts (Google, GitHub) without sharing passwords. Supabase supports OAuth for social login.

PostgreSQL Open-source relational database. Supabase provides a managed PostgreSQL instance for Lyna projects. See Supabase Database.

RLS (Row Level Security) PostgreSQL feature restricting row access based on policies. Supabase uses RLS to ensure users can only access their own data.

Real-time Pushing data changes to connected clients immediately, without polling. Supabase provides real-time subscriptions for live-updating features.

REST API Standard HTTP-based communication using GET, POST, PUT, DELETE. Supabase auto-generates a REST API for your database tables.

Schema Database structure: tables, columns, data types, relationships, constraints.

SQL (Structured Query Language) Standard language for relational databases. Create tables, insert data, run queries, manage structure.

Storage bucket A container for files (images, documents, videos) in Supabase Storage. Each bucket has its own access policies. See Supabase Storage.

Stripe Payment processing platform. Lyna integrates Stripe for checkout flows, subscriptions, and webhooks. See Stripe Integration.

Supabase Open-source backend-as-a-service: PostgreSQL database, auth, file storage, edge functions, real-time subscriptions. Native integration with Lyna. See Supabase Integration.

tRPC TypeScript-first framework for type-safe APIs without code generation. Used internally in Lyna's architecture.

Webhook An HTTP callback triggered by events in external services. For example, Stripe sends webhooks when a payment succeeds or a subscription changes.