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Glossary

Technical terms specific to the RDS App codebase and documentation.

RDS — Respondent-Driven Sampling. A network-based sampling method for reaching hidden populations without a sampling frame. See RDS Methodology.

CASL — A JavaScript authorization library used for role and attribute-based access control. Defines what each user role can read, create, update, or delete. See Architecture.

Coupon — A physical card with a space for a QR code sticker. Generated as blank PDF templates via npm run generate-coupons. Not connected to the database.

CSP — Content Security Policy. An HTTP header restricting which sources browsers can load scripts, styles, and other resources from. Enforced by Helmet.js in the server.

JWT — JSON Web Token. A signed token issued by the server after OTP verification, stored in the client and sent with every authenticated API request.

OTP — One-Time Password. A short-lived numeric code sent via SMS through Twilio Verify that volunteers enter to authenticate.

Seed — The initial survey code (and its corresponding QR code) distributed to start a referral chain. Seeds have no parentSurveyCode. See CLI Scripts — generate-seeds.

SID — Service Identifier. A Twilio-specific string identifying an account (TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID, starts with AC) or a Verify service (TWILIO_VERIFY_SID, starts with VA).

Survey code — An 8-character hex string that uniquely identifies a survey entry point. Encoded in QR codes and used to link parent and child surveys in the referral chain.

SWR — Stale-While-Revalidate. A React data-fetching strategy used in the admin dashboard. Returns cached data immediately, then revalidates in the background.

Twilio Verify — A Twilio service for phone number verification via SMS OTP. Used for all volunteer logins.