Glossary

This document is a list of common or unusual terms used in EVE third-party development and their meanings.

APIs & Data sources

• ESI — "EVE Swagger Interface"
  The official RESTful API for EVE third-party development
• SDE — "Static Data Export"
  Export of static game data (only changing with game updates)
• CREST — "Carbon RESTful API"
  Previous generation third-party development API (defunct since 2018)
• XML API
  Previous generation third-party development API (defunct since 2018)
• IGB — "In-Game Browser"
  In-game browser and related APIs (defunct since 2016)
• Static Data Dump
  Prior version of the SDE

Data Formats

• EFT — "EVE Fitting Tool"
  Human-Readable format for ship fittings from the now-defunct third-party program of the same name, used in-game for fit copying and pasting
• Ship DNA
  Compact data format for ship fittings, used in-game for fit links
• XML Fitting
  XML-based fitting format, used in-game for file-based fit export/import

Data Types

• Type
  Game object. Types describe most "things" in the game; cargo items, ships, objects in space
  Found in the SDE in fsd/types.yaml, through ESI under /universe/types/
• Item
  An individual instance of a type; e.g., Type 648 ("Badger") describes all Badger ships, any individual assembled ship has a unique itemID.
  An "object" as opposed to a "class" in programming terms
• Group
  Collection of related Types
  Not to be confused with MetaGroup or MarketGroup
  Found in the SDE in fsd/groups.yaml, through ESI under /universe/groups/
• Category
  Collection of related Groups
  Usually differentiates the "kind" of object; E.g. "Ship" and "Module" are different Categories
  Found in the SDE in fsd/categories.yaml, through ESI under /universe/categories/
• MetaGroup
  Tech-tier such as T1/T2/T3/Faction
  Not to be confused with regular item Group or MarketGroup
  Found in the SDE in fsd/metaGroups.yaml, not available through ESI
• MarketGroup
  A single tab (or tab group) in the market
  Not to be confused with regular item Group or MetaGroup
  Found in the SDE in fsd/marketGroups.yaml, through ESI under /markets/groups/
• Icon
  Icon images, such as inventory icons, UI icons, overview icons, etc.
  Found in the SDE in fsd/iconIDs.yaml, not available through ESI
• Graphic
  Data about 3D models; Model geometry, textures, icons/renders of those models
  Found in the SDE in fsd/graphicIDs.yaml, through ESI under /universe/graphics/
• Attribute
  (Additional) properties of a Type, such as HP, maximum velocity, and other item stats
  Found in the SDE in fsd/dogmaAttributes.yaml, through ESI under /dogma/attributes/
• Effect
  Game logic element. Describes interactions between attributes
  Some properties are also stored as effects rather than attributes (E.g. which slot a module uses)
  Found in the SDE in fsd/dogmaEffects.yaml, through ESI under /dogma/effects/

Technical & other terms

• BSD — "Branched Static Data"
  Old authoring format for game data, not all data has been ported over to the new FSD "File Static Data"
  No meaningful difference to FSD for users
• FSD — "File Static Data"
  New authoring format for game data, not all data has been ported over
  No meaningful difference to BSD for users
• Dogma
  Collective term for Attributes, Effects and the game logic around them
• Monolith
  The EVE Online servers (in particular, the database) for the game itself, as opposed to other services like ESI