# The kind taxonomy > Every record is classified by this closed kind taxonomy, listed in decision order with each kind's discriminator, what it is distinguished from, the definition… Page: Ontology · Schema Canonical: https://banes-lab.com/ontology/schema#the-kind-taxonomy Every record is classified by this closed kind taxonomy, listed in decision order with each kind's discriminator, what it is distinguished from, the definition openings that signal it, and how many principles and terms carry it. The reasoning behind the taxonomy is described in [every record has a kind](https://banes-lab.com/software-architecture/principles/every-record-has-a-kind.md) on the architecture page. The canon resolves, because every edge names a record that exists and every kind is in range. ### anti-pattern - Principles of this kind: 78 - Terms of this kind: 314 Details Discriminator an undesirable, recurring solution or condition that a well-designed system avoids Distinguished from vs quality-attribute — it is a thing to eliminate, not a good property; it is referenced only via conflicts_with Definition openings a defect where, a defect in which, a failure that, an undesirable ### metric - Principles of this kind: 5 - Terms of this kind: 11 Details Discriminator a quantitative measure or rate tracked as a number Distinguished from vs quality-attribute — the measurement itself (Cost, Latency), not the property being measured (Performance) Definition openings a measure of, the rate at which, the resource or financial ### quality-attribute - Principles of this kind: 29 - Terms of this kind: 317 Details Discriminator a desirable property a system exhibits to a degree ('the degree to which…') Distinguished from vs capability — a property the system has more or less of, not a discrete thing it can do Definition openings the degree to which, the ease with which, the extent to which, the proportion of time ### principle - Principles of this kind: 71 - Terms of this kind: 6 Details Discriminator a normative design rule prescribing how to build ('you should…') Distinguished from vs constraint — a prescriptive ideal/value, not a hard boundary that must hold Definition openings none ### constraint - Principles of this kind: 25 - Terms of this kind: 181 Details Discriminator a rule or precondition that must hold for correctness or acceptance ('requires that…') Distinguished from vs principle — a binding boundary/requirement, not a prescriptive ideal Definition openings predefined conditions, a rule or precondition, a clear assignment of responsibility ### capability - Principles of this kind: 6 - Terms of this kind: 331 Details Discriminator a discrete ability the system gains ('the ability to…') Distinguished from vs mechanism — what can be done, not the concrete facility that provides it Definition openings the ability to, the ability of, the capacity to ### activity - Principles of this kind: 25 - Terms of this kind: 34 Details Discriminator an action or process that is performed ('the activity of …-ing') Distinguished from vs technique — the doing itself, not the reusable method for doing it Definition openings the activity of, the act of, the practice of ### pattern - Principles of this kind: 69 - Terms of this kind: 8 Details Discriminator a named, reusable structural solution to a recurring design problem Distinguished from vs mechanism — a design-level arrangement of parts, not a concrete runtime facility Definition openings an architecture that, an architecture isolating, a design pattern ### mechanism - Principles of this kind: 71 - Terms of this kind: 39 Details Discriminator a concrete facility or means that implements behavior at runtime ('a facility that…') Distinguished from vs technique — a runtime thing that operates, not a method a person or tool applies Definition openings a facility that, a mechanism that ### technique - Principles of this kind: 15 - Terms of this kind: 17 Details Discriminator a repeatable method or skill applied to achieve a result ('a technique for…') Distinguished from vs approach — a specific method, not a broad guiding strategy Definition openings a technique for, a method for ### approach - Principles of this kind: 9 - Terms of this kind: 13 Details Discriminator a broad strategy or paradigm for tackling a class of problems Distinguished from vs style — a problem-solving strategy, not a convention of expression Definition openings an approach in which, a strategy for, a paradigm ### model - Principles of this kind: 18 - Terms of this kind: 17 Details Discriminator a conceptual representation or abstraction of a domain, data, or behavior ('a model of…') Distinguished from vs artifact — the conceptual representation, not a concrete produced instance of it Definition openings a conceptual representation, an abstraction of ### artifact - Principles of this kind: 9 - Terms of this kind: 67 Details Discriminator a concrete produced or consumed thing — a document, schema, or data Distinguished from vs mechanism — a static thing produced or read, not active behavior Definition openings a formal definition of, a precise, authoritative description, descriptive data about ### style - Principles of this kind: 16 - Terms of this kind: 2 Details Discriminator a convention of expression or organization ('a … style') Distinguished from vs approach — how something is written or arranged, not the strategy for solving Definition openings a convention of ## Links to - [Every record has a kind](https://banes-lab.com/software-architecture/principles/every-record-has-a-kind.md) ## Linked from - [Every record has a kind](https://banes-lab.com/software-architecture/principles/every-record-has-a-kind.md)