Concept dictionary
Module
A module is a self-contained part of a larger system, model architecture, or software pipeline.
- Review state
- Reviewed in POC
- Freshness
- Current
- Version
- 2
Also called
- Module
- Software Module
Remember it this wayA module groups one responsibility behind a boundary.
In plain language
A module is a bounded component that groups related behavior behind a defined interface. Modules can be combined into a larger software or model architecture.
Why it matters
Clear module boundaries make a system easier to understand, test, replace, and govern. Weak boundaries spread assumptions and make changes ripple across the system.
Example
An AI application keeps retrieval, policy checks, model calls, and audit logging in separate modules with explicit inputs and outputs.
Common misconception
A module is not merely any file or folder. The useful concept is a coherent responsibility and boundary, though a language may also give module a specific technical meaning.
Related terms
Sources
- Python Software Foundation, “Python Glossary: module”provides one concrete language-level example of a module as an organizational unit with its own namespace.
Learn more
- Compare [[system|System]], [[application-programming-interface|Application Programming Interface]], [[workflow|Workflow]], and [[orchestration|Orchestration]] to place Module in the surrounding system.
- Follow the cited source material above for the method, standard, or research context behind this draft.