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Reference · Pune IT · 2026
Pune IT Glossary
28 Pune-relevant IT terms — tech stacks, tools, roles, and career terminology — defined with the Pune-specific context you need to decode a hiring conversation or interview question.
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Tech Stacks
- Java Full Stack
A web-application stack pairing Java + Spring Boot for the backend with Angular or React for the frontend and a relational database (PostgreSQL / MySQL / Oracle).
In Pune: Pune services-sector default. The single largest full-stack hiring profile across Persistent, Capgemini, Mindtree, Tech Mahindra, Cognizant, Wipro, Infosys, and TCS fresher campus drives. Salary band ₹3.5-6 LPA fresher / ₹8-14 LPA at 3-5 yrs.
- MERN Stack(MERN)
A JavaScript-everywhere stack: MongoDB (database) + Express (server framework) + React (frontend) + Node.js (runtime).
In Pune: Pune product-startup default. Favoured at BrowserStack, Helpshift, Druva, GUVI, and most seed-stage AI startups because the single-language stack accelerates feature shipping. Salary band ₹4-7 LPA fresher / ₹9-16 LPA at 3-5 yrs.
- MEAN Stack(MEAN)
MERN's older sibling — same MongoDB + Express + Node.js base but with Angular as the frontend framework instead of React.
In Pune: Smaller Pune hiring market than MERN (~80 listings/month vs ~500/month). Survives at specific Angular-shop services-major teams; MERN is the safer 2026 pick for new portfolios.
- .NET Full Stack(.NET FS · DotNet Full Stack)
ASP.NET Core + C# + Entity Framework Core for the backend, Angular or React for the frontend, SQL Server for the database.
In Pune: Pune BFSI / Insurance / Healthcare vertical default. Strong at Cognizant .NET practice, Saksoft, Mphasis, BNP Paribas IT, Allianz tech, Atos Syntel. Salary band ₹4-7 LPA fresher / ₹9-16 LPA at 3-5 yrs.
- Python Full Stack
Django (or Flask + FastAPI) + React + PostgreSQL + Celery/Redis for background jobs.
In Pune: Pune Python-shop default + the natural bridge stack to data science / ML / AI engineering tracks. ZS Associates web teams, GUVI, Persistent product, growing AI startups. Salary band ₹4-7 LPA fresher / ₹9-16 LPA at 3-5 yrs.
Tools & Frameworks
- Spring Boot
An opinionated Java framework on top of the Spring Framework that auto-configures most application infrastructure, letting developers focus on business logic.
In Pune: The default Java backend framework at every Pune services major + most product companies. The single most-asked-about framework at Pune Java fresher interviews. Pune Java listings reference Spring Boot in roughly 90% of postings.
- Microservices
An architectural pattern where an application is split into independently-deployable services that communicate via APIs (REST or messaging), each owning its data.
In Pune: Pune product companies and modern services-major engagements increasingly default to microservices over monolithic apps. Adding Spring Cloud + Docker + Kafka exposure to a Java portfolio bumps Pune fresher offers ₹1-3 LPA above standard backend band.
- REST API(REST · RESTful API)
An architectural style for web APIs using HTTP methods (GET / POST / PUT / DELETE) over resources represented as URLs, exchanging data typically as JSON.
In Pune: The interview-screened API style at virtually every Pune backend role. REST API design + proper status codes + authentication patterns (JWT, OAuth2) appear in nearly every Pune Java / Python / .NET / Node fresher interview.
- CRUD(Create Read Update Delete)
Create, Read, Update, Delete — the four basic operations of persistent storage, used as shorthand for any application that manages user-editable data.
In Pune: A CRUD app is the foundational portfolio piece for any Pune backend / full-stack fresher role. But recruiters identify pure-CRUD apps instantly; portfolios with only CRUD projects underperform vs portfolios that exercise one harder-than-CRUD concept (auth depth, async, integration).
- Selenium
An open-source browser-automation framework for testing web applications, with Java being its most common driver language at enterprise QA teams.
In Pune: Pune QA automation default. Persistent, Capgemini, Mindtree, Tech Mahindra, Cognizant all run Selenium + Java + TestNG as their automation testing stack. Selenium 4 + TestNG + Page Object Model is the screened-for combination.
AI & Data
- LangChain
A Python framework for building applications powered by Large Language Models (LLMs), providing abstractions for prompts, chains, agents, memory, and tool integration.
In Pune: Pune agentic-AI / LLM-application default. Persistent's Avaamo group, Helpshift, GUVI, BrowserStack AI, ZS AI practice all standardise on LangChain + LangGraph for their agent + RAG layer. Salary premium of ₹3-6 LPA over equivalent classical-ML profiles.
- LangGraph
A LangChain extension for building stateful, multi-step agent graphs — the production pattern for agents that reason, plan, call tools, and recover from errors.
In Pune: The production-default agent framework at Pune AI shops in 2026. Multi-agent supervisor + worker patterns built on LangGraph are the highest-paid agentic-AI portfolio differentiator.
- RAG(Retrieval Augmented Generation · Retrieval-Augmented Generation)
Retrieval-Augmented Generation — an LLM pattern that retrieves relevant chunks from a vector store before generating a response, so the LLM grounds answers in your own documents.
In Pune: The most-recognised 2026 LLM-application pattern in Pune product + AI startup hiring. A working RAG chatbot over your own documents (LangChain + Pinecone or pgvector + OpenAI/Anthropic) is among the strongest portfolio differentiators for AI engineer roles.
- LLM(Large Language Model)
A foundation model trained on large text corpora that can generate, classify, summarise, and reason over text — the underlying technology behind ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.
In Pune: LLM API integration (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google) is becoming a baseline expectation for new product-engineering roles in Pune, not just dedicated AI engineering tracks. Even Pune full-stack and data-engineering roles increasingly screen for LLM application literacy.
- MLOps
Machine Learning Operations — the discipline of getting ML models from notebook to production reliably: experiment tracking, model versioning, deployment, monitoring, retraining.
In Pune: Pune ML Engineer + Senior Data Scientist roles increasingly require MLOps fluency. Tools to know: MLflow, DVC, Weights & Biases, Kubeflow basics. ₹2-4 LPA premium over pure data-science profiles at mid-career.
Roles & Specialisations
- SDET(Software Development Engineer in Test)
Software Development Engineer in Test — an engineering role that writes both test automation and test infrastructure code, sitting between QA and development.
In Pune: Pune SDET salary band ₹10-18 LPA at 3-6 years, materially above standard QA automation (₹6-10 LPA). The natural career exit from Selenium / TestNG automation experience. Most-hired at product companies (BrowserStack, Persistent product, Druva).
- Data Analyst vs Data Scientist
Data Analyst = SQL + dashboards + ad-hoc business analysis. Data Scientist = Python + statistics + ML + predictive modelling. Two distinct career destinations on the same ladder.
In Pune: Pune fresher salaries: Analyst ₹3-6 LPA / Scientist ₹5-9 LPA. About 60% of Pune data graduates start as Analyst, pivot to Scientist by year 2-3 — the most-trodden data career arc.
- AI Engineer
An engineer who builds LLM-powered applications: prompt design, RAG pipelines, agentic systems, model serving, observability, evals — the application layer on top of foundation models.
In Pune: Highest-paid Pune fresher tier in 2026: ₹8-15 LPA at product companies (Persistent Avaamo, Helpshift, GUVI, BrowserStack AI, ZS AI). Supply gap means immediate interview signal for candidates with a deployed multi-agent capstone.
Career & Hiring Terms
- DSA(Data Structures and Algorithms)
Data Structures and Algorithms — the foundational CS concepts (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, sorting, searching, dynamic programming) that drive technical-interview screening.
In Pune: Universal Pune fresher interview gate. Services-major tier: 50+ easy LeetCode + 20 medium. Product-company tier: 100+ medium + 20 hard. Most failed Pune fresher product-company interviews are DSA-failed, not framework-failed.
- Bench
The period after joining a services major during which you're employed and being paid but not yet allocated to a client project — typically used for training and skill-building.
In Pune: Pune services-major fresher bench typically runs 3-6 months. Used for paid Java/.NET/SAP/Salesforce certification programmes. Bench performance influences first-project allocation; treat it as a training opportunity, not idle time.
- Onshore / Offshore / Onsite
Onshore = working in the client's country. Offshore = working in your home country (India) for a foreign client. Onsite = deputed to client premises (typically onshore).
In Pune: Pune services-major fresher work is almost exclusively offshore. Onshore deputation (US, UK, Australia) typically opens after 18-24 months of strong offshore performance. Onshore base salaries land $90K-140K USD for Java/Python developers; major career inflection.
- GCC(Global Capability Centre · Global Capability Center)
Global Capability Centre — a captive offshore unit set up by a multinational corporation in India to deliver work for the parent company (vs an Indian services major delivering for many clients).
In Pune: Pune GCCs include Allianz tech, BNP Paribas IT, BMC Software, BNY Mellon tech, Citigroup tech (smaller), several BFSI captives. Pay 30-60% above Indian services majors at fresher level; smaller batch sizes, slower hiring cadence, less bench, more direct project work.
- Services vs Product Company
Services companies (TCS, Infosys, Cognizant, etc.) sell engineering work to many clients. Product companies (BrowserStack, Druva, etc.) own + sell a software product to many customers.
In Pune: Pune fresher salary delta: services ₹3.5-6 LPA vs product ₹5-12 LPA. Product filters harder on portfolio + DSA + system design. Most Pune careers start at services, pivot to product after 18-24 months.
- CTC(Cost to Company)
Cost To Company — the total annual compensation figure quoted in Indian offer letters, including base salary, statutory benefits (PF, gratuity), variable pay, and sometimes notional benefits.
In Pune: Pune fresher offer CTCs of ₹4-6 LPA typically translate to ₹28,000-38,000 in-hand monthly after tax + PF + insurance deductions. Always ask for the in-hand figure alongside CTC during offer negotiations; the delta can be 25-35%.
- Notice Period
The contractually-required period an employee must continue working after submitting resignation before they can leave — typically 30, 60, or 90 days at Pune IT companies.
In Pune: Pune services majors typically require 60-90 days notice; product companies 30-60 days; startups 15-30 days. Notice-period buyouts are negotiable, especially when joining at significant CTC bump. Plan job searches with notice period in mind.
Testing & QA
- ISTQB(International Software Testing Qualifications Board)
International Software Testing Qualifications Board — the global QA certification body. Foundation Level is the standard fresher-tier certification, with intermediate and expert tiers above.
In Pune: Near-mandatory at Pune services-major QA fresher hiring filters as of 2026. Exam fee ~₹4,500 paid separately to ISTQB. ~70-80% of focused candidates clear Foundation within 6 weeks of prep.
- SDLC / STLC(SDLC · STLC)
Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) = the development workflow (requirements → design → code → test → release). Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC) = the testing-specific workflow (test planning → design → execution → closure).
In Pune: First-round Pune QA interview question at virtually every services major. SDLC models (Waterfall, V-Model, Agile/Scrum) + STLC phases + entry/exit criteria are screened verbally before any tooling questions.
- Page Object Model(POM)
An automation-testing design pattern where each web page is represented by a class encapsulating its elements + behaviours, separating test logic from page-structure details.
In Pune: The default Selenium automation framework pattern at Pune services-major QA teams. POM + Page Factory + Data-Driven Testing is the combination screened for in Pune automation-engineer interviews.
Not sure where to start?
Our Career Paths section maps these terms to the 5 most common Pune IT career arcs (Java, Python, Full Stack, Data Science / AI, First IT Job). Each pillar uses the terminology above in context — a more practical way to absorb it than a glossary alone.