Prismic Glossary
Definitions of key terms in Prismic.
API Explorer
A graphical user interface for querying the Document API. Visit https://your-repo-name.prismic.io/builder/explorer to use the API Explorer. You may also visit a public version at http://prismic.io/explorer.
application programming interface (API)
Technical procedures for communicating between two pieces of technology. Often refers to HTTP APIs on the internet, like Prismic’s, where data is sent to or retrieved from a server.
archiving
Unpublishing a Prismic page and moving it to the “Archive” tab in the user interface. Archived documents are excluded from the API.
boolean
A field that stores true or false.
color
A field that stores a hex color code.
component
A reusable piece of code (.vue, .jsx, .js, .svelte, .ejs, .pug) for generating a part of a user interface.
content delivery network (CDN)
A network of servers to distribute content globally. Prismic uses a CDN to optimize query response times.
content management
Creating and modifying the content of a website. Content management describes the policies, procedures, standards, roles, resources, and schedules to create, modify, and delete content.
content management system (CMS)
Software for creating and modifying content for a website.
content modeling
Creating content structures. In a Prismic repository, the largest unit of a content model is a custom type. Custom types are composed of a static zone and a slice zone, which are composed of fields and slices, respectively. Slices are also composed of fields. Fields are the smallest unit of a content model.
content relationship
A field that stores internal relationships. Content relationships are designed to facilitate pulling content from another page, such as displaying related content.
custom type
A model for a type of page, (e.g. post, author, recipe, event). Custom types configure what fields and slices are available on a page.
dashboard
The first screen you see after logging in to Prismic, located at prismic.io/dashboard. It lists all of your repositories.
date
A field that stores a calendar date. The date is delivered in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD).
deleting
Erasing a page that has already been archived. Deleted pages are not recoverable.
deploying
Publishing a website on the internet.
Document API
Prismic’s read-only Rest API endpoint for content, located at https://your-repo-name.cdn.prismic.io/api/v2/documents/search
Embed
A field that stores an oEmbed URL.
environments
A premium Prismic feature that allows you to clone the entirety of your production repository — including all custom types, pages, and media files — so that you can make content changes in a development environment.
field
The most elementary component of a Prismic model. Prismic has 18 different field types.
There are eight simple fields, which each return a primitive value (e.g. 8, false, "Dog"): UID, boolean, color, date, timestamp, number, text, and select.
There are ten structured fields, which each return an object value: rich text, image, content relationship, link, link to media, embed, geopoint, repeatable group, table, and integration.
geopoint
A field that stores geolocation coordinates or a Google Maps URL. The location is stored as a latitude and longitude.
GraphQL
A data query language for APIs, created by Facebook. Gatsby uses a GraphQL API layer, and Prismic offers a GraphQL API endpoint. GraphQL stands in contrast to REST. Compared to REST, GraphQL allows for more complex querying.
GraphQL API
Prismic’s read-only GraphQL API endpoint, located at https://your-repo-name.cdn.prismic.io/graphql.
GraphQL Explorer
A web interface for building queries to the Prismic GraphQL API, located at https://your-repo-name.prismic.io/graphql
history
A log of past versions of a page in Prismic. Prismic saves all previous page versions in the history to view, compare, and restore.
HTML serializer
The former name of the rich text serializer.
image
A field that stores an image with cropping, alt text, and various sizes.
integration
A field that stores data synced from a third-party API.
Integration Fields Write API
Prismic’s write-only Rest API endpoint to create, modify, and delete content in an integration field database, located at https://if-api.prismic.io/if/write/your-repo-name--catalog-name
Legacy Type Builder
The interface for constructing content models in Prismic. The Legacy Builder is superseded by Slice Machine and will be deprecated in the future.
link
A field that stores a link to the web, to media, or to an internal Prismic page. The link field is designed to facilitate creating links (hrefs).
link resolver
A function that receives a link field pointing to a Prismic page and returns the page’s URL.
link to media
A field that stores a link to an item in the Media Library (images, videos, MP3s, GIFs, PDFs, and more).
locale
A locale is a representation of the content of a Prismic repository for a specific region and language. Every Prismic repository has one “master” locale, which is the default language and region for content in the repository. Users may create additional locales and translate content into them.
locale code
The API ID for a locale. Prismic includes common locales with ISO language codes. Users can also define their own locales with custom locale codes.
Media Library
The media management interface, where users can upload, delete, and select media (videos, images, PDFs, ZIP files) and edit media’s alt text and metadata.
mock data
JSON that imitates content from the Prismic API to simulate slices in Slice Machine.
number
A field that stores an integer (e.g. 3) or a float (e.g. 3.14).
page
A unit of content in Prismic corresponding to an entity on a website (e.g., a webpage, a post, author, tag, menu).
Page Builder
A flexible content editing interface in Prismic that allows non-developers to create and customize pages by combining slices.
previewing
Securely displaying unpublished content changes and drafts from Prismic within a live version of your website, allowing you to see changes as they would appear before publishing.
publishing
Making a version of a page live on the Prismic API.
querying
Sending a GET request to a Prismic repository’s Document or GraphQL API to retrieve content.
ref
An ID that is updated every time content is changed in the Prismic repository. Every repository has refs for the most recently published content, all drafts, and all releases, which are available on the Entry API. Queries to the Document API must include a ref to specify what version of the content to return. Refs enable caching, which significantly speeds up API responses. Prismic usually keeps the six most recent refs (including the current one) and deletes older ones, therefore a ref cannot be reliably used to query outdated content versions.
release
A collection of content changes that can be previewed and published together. In a release, pages can be created and modified.
repeatable group
A field that stores a repeatable collection of other fields.
repository
An isolated collection of content in Prismic. It stores all of the pages, media, environments, translations, and settings for a given project. Repositories are accessible from the dashboard.
Repository API
Prismic’s read-only Rest endpoint for metadata about a repository (including refs, which are necessary for requests to the Document API, located at https://your-repo-name.cdn.prismic.io/api/v2
REST
A standard API query language.
rich text
A field that stores formatted text, images, embeds, and more.
rich text serializer
A function that describes how rich text elements should be rendered. We recommend using an object of custom components instead. Learn more →
roles
Permissions that define what actions a user can perform in a Prismic repository, such as editing, publishing, or managing settings.
route resolver
An API option that allows users to define rules for building URL paths for pages, which the Prismic API will return as the url property on each page.
routing
The structure of URL paths organizing pages of a website.
spaces
Used to organize content in the Page Builder by grouping pages into distinct sections. Spaces help teams manage content more efficiently and control user roles.
select
A field that stores one of a collection of predefined values.
slice
A slice is a section of a webpage. Slices are freely arranged in a page’s slice zone. Each slice is rendered by a UI component in the web application (e.g. React, Vue, Svelte). Slices allow content editors to compose complex UIs.
Slice Machine
A local development tool for building content models that sync across your codebase and your Prismic repository.
slice simulator
A mini-app that simulates what your slices will look like in production, using mock data. It also shows live slice previews in the Page Builder as you draft content.
slice zone
A container for slices. Prismic provides SliceZone components for rendering slices in popular front-end JavaScript frameworks.
starter
A sample project launched from @slicemachine/init.
static zone
A container for immovable and non-repeatable fields, generally used for page metadata.
table
A field that stores tabular data.
tags
Prismic’s built-in system for organizing content.
Tag API
Prismic’s read-only Rest endpoint for a list of all tags used in a repository, located at https://your-repo-name.cdn.prismic.io/api/tags
templating
Creating UI components that use data from Prismic (e.g. .vue, .jsx, .js, .svelte, .ejs).
text
A field that stores a string of plain text without formatting.
timestamp
A field that stores a calendar date and time.
Types API
An HTTP API for creating, reading, and modifying a Prismic repository’s content models.
UID
A metadata field that formats and stores a human-readable, SEO-friendly identifier for each page, unique to the custom type and locale. Used for constructing URLs. Stands for “unique identifier.”
versioning
Recording and managing changes over time. Codebases are generally versioned with a version control system like git. Content in Prismic is versioned with the history tool. Content models in Slice Machine can be versioned as part of a codebase.
webhooks
HTTPS requests sent by Prismic to a user-defined endpoint on certain actions (e.g. page published). Used to trigger actions (like a website rebuild) on content changes.