Codec is a fancy term for an encoder/decoder that compresses and decompresses data, usually audio or video. It's like a magical shrink ray that makes your 4K cat videos small enough to store on your phone, but hopefully not as glitchy as that compression algorithm Pied Piper tried to launch.

How to use it in a sentence

• I tried to watch the latest episode of Silicon Valley, but the codec kept glitching out - I think Dinesh pushed some buggy code again.

• Our startup's video chat app is taking forever to load because the genius founder insisted on using some cutting-edge codec he read about on Hacker News.

If you actually want to learn more...

• Codecs and Containers - A quick primer on the difference between codecs and containers for storing video and audio.

• It's All About the Coders - While not directly about codecs, this article discusses how to optimize your engineering talent, which is key for building efficient compression algorithms.

• The Emerging Art of Software Design - Designing software, like codecs, requires a blend of technical knowledge and creativity. This piece explores what makes great software design.

Note: the Developer Dictionary is in Beta. Please direct feedback to skye@statsig.com.